The Portrait of Mr. Hyde

This month we focused on the topic, the "monsters within ourselves". For this topic we read two books, "The Portrait of Dorian Gray" and "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde". One of the questions during a Socratic seminar was asking to compare and contrast these two books and the main characters.
First off, the main characters, Jekyll and Dorian Gray. Both males curious about themselves and both act upon that curiosity despite the selfish and negative consequences it leads onto others. In "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde", Jekyll was curious about the evil that was dwelling inside of him. He wanted to bring out that evil and live freely without consequences. He acted upon that curiosity by making a potion that would bring out his alter ego, Mr. Hyde. However, is Jekyll himself not evil because it was Mr. Hyde's doing that caused other people to suffer and even die? I think Jekyll is just as evil because without Jekyll, there is no Hyde. I think as humans we tend to act this way. If we wear a mask over face or use a fake ID with a fake name, then its not really us so we shouldn't get in trouble. But who is behind that mask and who is holding that fake ID, the mischievousness one.
In "The Portrait of Dorian Gray", Dorian is this beautiful man who people admired for his beauty and his youth. He was curious about his beauty and youth and had a portrait of himself done so that the portrait would age but he himself would never grow a day older. Dorian's character is evil for his selfish actions, example would be his actions towards Sybil and her brother, and also how he cheats life. Both Dorian and Jekyll cheat life. Dorian does not grow a day older, never experiences aging or the changes that come of it, just stays young and beautiful. Jekyll cheats life by changing not only by bringing out his inner evil, but also by changing his physical form.
I think both stories fit the topic of "monsters within ourselves". Jekyll literally, as the monster was the evil within him, brought out by Hyde. And Dorian who cheated life and was conceited and selfish. I think in today's society, people don't show their monsters to this extreme. People can't cheat life or create a potion to change who they are. To change their physical form, people get plastic surgery. I don't think they do it for evil reasons or have a secret plan to murder someone once the procedure is done, but its just an extreme. Also I don't think we see people as being both a Jekyll and Hyde (Good and Bad). I think we see people as being one or the other. People can either be good with evil lurking in the inside that we ignore, or they can be evil, and nothing but evil. Of course there is a bit of gray area, but overall, that's how we view people.