Guilt is a central theme in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, manifesting through the actions and conscience of Victor Frankenstein and other characters. The novel explores how guilt affects the mind and soul, leading to physical and emotional deterioration. Victor's creation of the creature and subsequent abandonment sets off a chain of events that result in tragedy and remorse, highlighting the destructive power of guilt.

Victor Frankenstein's guilt begins with his transgression against natural boundaries by creating life. His obsession with scientific knowledge leads him to neglect his family and moral responsibilities. Victor acknowledges the danger of his ambition, stating,

"how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge and how much happier that man is who believes his native town to be the world, than he who aspires to become greater than his nature will allow." [Chapter 4]

This realization comes too late, as his creation becomes a source of destruction, for which Victor feels responsible.

Victor's guilt is compounded by his failure to nurture his creation. By abandoning the creature, he neglects his duty as a creator, akin to a parent leaving a newborn to fend for itself. This neglect leads to the creature's suffering and subsequent acts of revenge. Victor's remorse is evident when he laments the consequences of his actions,

"This was my doing! And my father's woe, and the desolation of that late so smiling home was all the work of my thrice-cursed hands!" [Chapter 8]

Despite recognizing his role in the tragedies, Victor struggles to show appropriate remorse, often focusing on his own suffering instead.

Justine's trial further illustrates the theme of guilt. Victor knows the creature is responsible for William's murder, yet he remains silent, allowing Justine to be wrongfully condemned. His internal torment is palpable as he describes,

"But I, the true murderer, felt the never-dying worm alive in my bosom, which allowed of no hope or consolation . . . Anguish and despair had penetrated into the core of my heart; I bore a hell within me, which nothing could extinguish."

Victor's inaction and the resulting death of Justine add to his burden of guilt, demonstrating how his choices lead to irreversible consequences.

Justine's confession to a crime she did not commit also highlights the theme of guilt. Driven by fear of eternal damnation and a desire for absolution, she falsely admits guilt to gain forgiveness. Her confession, however, only deepens her sense of guilt, as she explains,

"I did confess; but I confessed a lie. I confessed, that I might obtain absolution; but now that falsehood lies heavier at my heart than all my other sins."

Justine's actions reflect the complex interplay of guilt, morality, and the search for redemption.