Dana Schwartz uses the genres of Gothic romance and historical fiction to draw attention to The Brutality of Corruption. Dr. Beecham is arguably the most corrupt character in the novel. He achieves immortality, wealth, and prestige, and he uses his advantages to prey on the most vulnerable members of his society. Some of the most brutal scenes depict the operations he performs on people without their consent or the aftermath of these procedures. The inhumane doctor and his frightful experiments suit the eerie Gothic romance Dana Schwartz creates.

However, the corruption in the novel is not limited to the supernatural elements or to Dr. Beecham’s singular villainy. Rather, the antagonist takes advantage of broader systems that leave people defenseless. According to Beecham, society, not he, is responsible for the lives lost in his procedures: “They were the poor and the destitute. The city had already killed them, and I was just using every piece of the animal” (323). Self-serving though it may be, Dr. Beecham’s indictment of the unjust and unequal society that has enabled his work is essentially accurate. Dr. Beecham sends Jones and his associates to abduct those whom society has already deemed disposable.