Novel Background
The novel The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde takes place in mid to late 19th century in London, so the language and ideals come from that time period, and the reader may want to look into what some of those typical ideals are to better understand the story. Also, the reader should look into British language from the time period again to better understand the story.
There are few women that are a part of the story, and this can be explained by looking into the time period that the novel takes place in. Late 19th century London was a male dominated society, and like most parts of the world at that time, women had a limited role in society. All of the doctors who are revealed as friends in the story are male, and this is confirmed that most professions like a doctor would have been occupied by a male in this time period.
The novel also dips into what one could infer as a struggle with addiction. One should look into the psychological effects from addiction, and also the effects that addiction has on someone and their social life. It also shows the inner struggle of a man with himself, and could in some ways be compared to bipolar disorder, and research on that disease may want to be conducted prior to reading The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.