my mind is overshadowed by a cloud of disappointment
With a subtle touch Mary Shelley
emphasizes Walton's similarity to the Victor Frankenstein who, two
paragraphs earlier, had been unsure whether he could rid his mind of its
"passion," that is, self-interest in its own affairs. The principal cloud
overshadowing Walton is the failure of the entire enterprise to which he
has been committed for a number of years. The death of Victor has also
robbed him of the only deep friendship he has known. On professional and
personal planes, then, he is equally bereft.
