Erik

Erik is extremely thin to the point of looking like a skeleton in clothes. He always wears a black tuxedo with a red rose in the lapel, a top hat and a cape. He has a black satin mask, embroidered with gold thread; this, to hide his horribly deformed face. His eyes are a vibrant yellow, he has no nose, his skin is pale and wrinkled and stuck to the skull with huge dark circles and almost no hair.

The Phantom was actually a tormented man whose face, deformed from birth, gave him the appearance of a true apparition. Leroux presents him as a genius of architecture, magic and music, and at the same time as a living corpse who had built his domain in the underground of the Opera. The creature falls in love with a young soprano, Christine Daaé, gives her singing lessons and does everything possible to keep her by his side, even kidnapping her to keep her in his home. Throughout the story there are scenes of emotion: traps underground, the fall of the chandelier from the majestic auditorium, deaths, revenge...

A mysterious presence inhabited the basement of the Paris Opera, causing accidents and deaths and blackmailing the opera's owners.
The ghost of the Opera, in a period photograph.
Finally, Erik – for that was the name of the protagonist – in a gesture of redemption, lets Christine go with her childhood love, Viscount Raoul de Chagny. In the novel's epilogue, Leroux recounts the end of the Phantom: alone and desperate, prey to his frustrations, but having felt a glimpse of the love he so longed for, he ends his life isolated from the outside world in the basement of the Opera House.

Jealous, possessive, insecure,

1. Excessive control: They want to control their partner's activities, friendships, and free time, often demanding to know who they are with and what they are doing at all times.

2. Constant distrust: They suspect their partner's loyalty without reason, accusing them of cheating or infidelity without real evidence.

3. Isolation: They try to distance their partner from friends and family, creating emotional dependence and preventing the person from having an external support network.

4. Checking devices: They want access to phones, social media, or emails, looking for signs of infidelity or betrayal.

5. Anxiety or anger attacks: When they feel they have no control or security, they may react with episodes of anxiety, anger attacks or aggression.

6. They demand constant validation: They seek continuous reaffirmation of their partner's love and commitment, since their insecurity makes them feel constantly threatened.

7. Low self-esteem: Often, insecurity comes from a negative self-image, projecting your fears into the relationship.