In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein,
Victor returns home at the beginning of Volume Two, Chapter
One.
Victor is sadly met by first his brother Ernest and
then his father Alphonse, and Elizabeth. They all share the news that their dear friend,
Justine Moritz, who has lived with them for many years, and loved and cared for William,
has been accused of the child's murder. She is to stand trial the following
day.
Victor cannot and will not believe this: he knows that
the creature is responsible for William's murder. He tells the family that he knows
Justine is innocent of the crime of which she is accused. Alphonse and Elizabeth advise
Victor to see what he can do to prove Justine's innocence and bring about her release.
He believes that when confronted by reason, the judges will see the lunacy of such a
charge.
However, no amount of logic or persuasion, even
from a family as influential as the Frankensteins, can sway the judges' decision that
Justine is guilty. She is sentenced to die on the gallows. Even as Victor pleads yet
again for her release, his words fall on deaf ears, and Justine is
executed.
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