That then was the period
The "then" reveals Victor distancing himself from the sense that
there will be any immediate consequences to his act. His
susceptibility to dismiss, or just miss, the logical point,
however, is not so much the result of chronic thick-headedness as it is
the effect of the egotism through which he filters all
experience. His characteristic assignment of a "destiny" to
himself likewise testifies as much to his sense of self-
importance as to the determinism by which he attempts to deflect
moral responsibility for his actions from himself.
