I didn't read this in school or do a formal study of it, only a quick read, so I'm sure everything has true meaning, etc, etc., but these are just my quick thoughts. Poor Basil, being in love with Dorian was a curse. I really could not stand Henry. He was so full of asshole prejudice. I feel like some of this was a cautionary tale about not being persuaded by peer pressure because every time Dorian seemed to try to be any less self-centered, Henry talked him out of it. It seemed like Basil was his symbolic angel on his shoulder and Henry his devil. I also felt like there was a message of no matter how good you look on the outside, your behavior still makes you either lovely or ugly. Dorian was every man. We all have these decisions (but he's an extreme case, only psychos take it so far). We all have the potential to be a disease to society like Dorian. This felt like a story that would have been on The Twilight Zone or Tales from the Crypt. I'm sure it has been the influence to many horror-ish type books, films and tv shows. Some classics are so wordy, you have to break down everything, each sentence at a time, to figure them out. In my opinion, this is a classic that anyone can read and from which gain something.
