Most of the problems that result from Victor Frankenstein’s attempt to create a human being are caused by his failure to question what his responsibilities to the creation would be. Victor only thought about his potential success in achieving what no human had done before. Mary Shelley returns over and over to the theme of the danger of playing God as Victor attempted to do.

Assuming that his creation would be wonderful, he is shocked and terrified, and his first action is to run away. He uses words such as “horrid,” “ugly,” “wretch,” and “miserable monster” to describe the creature (chapter 5). Apparently Victor had not anticipated that the creature would be hungry or that he would be curious about how he woke up in a laboratory. Although each reader will have different ideas about the extent to which Victor should have cared for his creation, the bare minimum of responsibility would be to provide food, clothing, and shelter. Victor should also have provided courtesy and respect for the monster's feelings. A constant theme in the novel is the importance of companionship, which Victor also could have offered to him in those crucial first moments.

After wandering on his own for some time, the creature learns the importance of companionship from observing a family. He intensely regrets his own solitude. He manages to find clothes, however ill-fitting, and to feed himself. When he decides that his own appearance is ugly, he labels himself a monster. It was obviously wrong of him to kill innocent people, including young William. However, given that he had never been socialized or educated, he could not have understood the moral implications of his antisocial actions. Victor had many advantages in life, including a loving family and friends, so it is harder to rationalize his behavior.