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early in the story

Frederick's butterfly obsession

Frederick Clegg, a lonely and socially awkward clerk, becomes obsessed with Miranda Grey, a beautiful and artistic young woman from a higher social class. He watches her from a distance, collecting details about her life like a butterfly collector, and his obsession grows into a fantasy of possessing her. This sets the stage for his plan to kidnap her, driven by a desire to control and own her as he does his butterfly specimens.