The Phantom of the Opera

Christine describes Erik as "a man of Heaven and earth" (139) due to his seemingly superhuman abilities. Although he is a real person, he has extraordinary genius and talents that allow him to perform incredible feats as if by witchcraft. In these chapters he displays those abilities, particularly in the Christine's public disappearance—a plot point that catalyzes the quick ascent to the narrative’s climax. Raoul knows Erik is the culprit behind Christine's kidnapping, but he nor anyone can explain how she vanished within the split second of darkness. To some, it was “as though the angels had really carried her up ‘to rest’” (146), and to others, the ghost was to blame. As later chapters reveal, Erik used a system of trap doors and subdued the gasman to cut the lights. In these chapters, the managers believe the ghost has powers of transfiguration, as they initially cannot explain how the real envelope of money came to be replaced with a fake one in front of their eyes. Even when they discover from Mme. Giry that it was a simple trick of swapped envelopes, the ghost's ability to take the safety-pinned envelope from Richard's pocket without detection leaves the managers with “no longer any doubt about the witchcraft” (174). Erik's displays of genius here connect to the theme of illusion, as he distorts reality to make himself seem more powerful than he is.

Raoul's tensions continue with Philippe, who is convinced more than ever by his brother's behavior that Raoul and Christine should be separated. Raoul's shooting of the cat and mumbling about Christine and the ghost makes Philippe feel like “[Raoul’s] mind was unhinged” (142). He fears Raoul will ruin the family name and make them appear “ridiculous” to high society. The public announcement of Raoul and Christine's engagement in the papers expresses that the Chagnys “shall not keep their promise” (143) of engagement for the first time ever in the family because of the disparity of the couple’s classes. Philippe's dislike of the relationship is so well-known by this time that later in Chapter 18, Mifroid believes the logical explanation for Christine's disappearance is Philippe carrying her out of Paris and away from Raoul.

Several characters appear to go mad in these chapters; however, within their own context, their actions are entirely logical. Raoul's shooting of the cat makes him look insane to others who don't know the murderous potential of the ghost with "blazing eyes" (138), and his ramblings “corresponded so intimately and logically with the preoccupation of his brain” (142) that to those without the details, he appears to be raving. After Christine's vanishing, Raoul shouts her name down trap doors and staircases, causing onlookers to “[make] fun of him” (154). Again, Raoul knows that Erik lives in the cellars, so his rational course of action is to call down into the Opera’s depths so Christine can hear him. Raoul's mind does become agitated when his plans all fail but running around the Opera to the places Christine mentioned accessing the underground home from proves that Raoul still has his ability to reason.

Richard and Moncharmin also appear to be acting as if they were "going mad" (150). Although their state of mind is highly agitated, to them, their actions are the only way to achieve the outcomes they want. The text presents their behavior as comical, as the men go to extreme ends to prove that the ghost is a common pickpocket, but the narrative still takes the time to show that their fantastical behavior has some rationale behind it. From Richard and Moncharmin's perspective, their backwards walking and lack of interaction with everyone are all precautions against the ghostly thief—although to others these strange behaviors appear to be a “new mania” (151). Their preoccupation with a safety pin looks like madness when Christine has vanished into thin air, but in their present fixation, the object is critical to protecting the 20,000 francs. The managers' behavior connects to the theme of obsession. Although their behavior does have rationale behind it, the plan stems from an obsessive and frenzied desire to unmask the ghost once and for all.