PODG6

The influence that Lord Henry has on Dorian effectively turns Dorian into a new version of himself. One of Lord Henry's favorite pastimes is to delve into, and influence, the minds of anyone who listens. When he meets Dorian, Henry takes a particular liking to the naive and innocent young man. He quickly influences and corrupts Dorian's mind and leads Dorian to behave like himself, Henry. When Basil catches Dorian in the street, late one foggy night, Basil describes to Dorian the many boys which he has influenced and wrecked. Basil says to Dorian "One has the right to judge a man by the effect he has over his friends" (110). In Basil's speech to Dorian, there are many parallels to Basil's earlier speeches to Lord Henry about Henry's influence over Dorian. Like Lord Henry, Dorian has negative effects over many of his acquiescence. Just as Lord Henry leads Dorian down a bad path, Dorian is leads many of his young, possibly innocent, friends into a corrupt life of half truths and overzealous indulgences.