Just as Basil was Dorian's angel on his shoulder, Lord Henry Wotton was the devil on the other side and eventually gained control over Dorian's mind. Lord Henry was a powerful aristocrat who controlled much of society in the novel. If Lord Henry said it was beautiful, to everyone else it was fantastic. Lord H cultivated the same total admiration for Dorian that Basil had developed. Thus began the competition for control of the splendid gentleman's mind among the former college classmates. The absolute power in society made Lord Henry's mind corrupt, and instead of doing things to positively influence society, he handled all his affairs selfishly and maliciously. Lord Henry demonstrates by his constant observations and actions that nothing is of value to him other than his personal indulgence and pleasure. Lord Henry discards them all once he has used them and eventually grows tired of them. His friends are worthless once they begin to commit to walking the correct path in life. The only possible exception to this is Dorian himself. After years of "developing" or "shaping" Dorian's personality, Lord Henry feels as if he has manipulated him into a perfect human being. He deeply admires Dorian, but most of all he admires himself for influencing Dorian in this way, turning him into an egomaniac due to his astonishing negative influence. Of all the