Lewis attributes Theodore’s homosexuality to the childhood trauma that he experiences as a prisoner of the banditti. The criminal organization asserts a tyrannical position over Theodore and his family, distorting his perceptions of social relationships. Marguerite, Theodore’s mother, describes the extent of their imprisonment by stating “flight was forbidden: My Children were in the power of Baptiste, and He had sworn that if I attempted to escape, their lives should pay for it” (Lewis 108). Although the banditti forces Theodore into confinement and obedience, his mother strives to “plant those principles, which might enable him to avoid the crimes of his Parents” (Lewis 109). Theodore rejects the behavior that led his mother to her desperate position by growing into a virtuous and honorable adolescent; however, the trauma he experiences during his childhood has lasting effects. Throughout the novel, Lewis does not describe Theodore as having an attraction to women. For example, when the nuns at the convent of St. Clare surround Theodore and admire his physical characteristics, his sole interest is obtaining information …show more content…
The Catholic Church, the government, and other entities that distort natural, human desires are the cause of same-sex attractions in the novel. Through the character development of Theodore, Lewis identifies the influencing factors of homosexuality, characteristics that result from sexual suppression, and internal conflicts that individuals who express homosexual desires confront. Lewis reprimands societal institutions that misrepresent primitive drives to manipulate citizens into a vulnerable position. By identifying homosexuality as a consequence of authoritative entities enforcing sexual suppression, Lewis illustrates the irony of eighteenth century Europe; institutions are indirectly encouraging the behaviors that they are trying to