Walton is a young man who finds himself in the company of Victor Frankenstein and his monster. Walton encounters them when they have just escaped from the Arctic and are travelling south through Germany. The two men flee from a mob of villagers who want to lynch them, and Walton offers to give them shelter for the night in his castle.
During their stay, Walton learns about the circumstances under which Frankenstein created his monster. He also learns that the creature is capable of great violence and destruction—a fact that becomes clear when he kills Frankenstein’s brother William after overhearing him plotting revenge against his creator for abandoning him on an Arctic island many years earlier.
Walton also discovers that Frankenstein’s obsession with his work has driven him to the brink of madness: he believes that by creating life, he can earn God’s love and forgiveness for abandoning his own family during their childhood illnesses (which were actually caused by a cholera epidemic). Walton also learns that despite being hideous in appearance and violent towards others at times, the creature is capable of love and compassion—he saves Walton from being killed by angry villagers at one point, even though he could easily kill him as well if he wanted.
