Rousseau/Hobbes

Frankenstein proves, to certain extents, both Rousseau's "State of Nature" and Hobbes' "State of War," (although realistically, if you pay attention to only certain details of any text, it'll prove you pretty much anything). Rousseau's main idea was that everyone is born as a pure, innocent human being, it is exposure to the evils of society that makes people change for the worse. This is definitely shown in Frankenstein as the monster is brought to life, and then learns from and responds to everyone's reaction to him. He was embittered by his creator's horrified reaction and the villagers' violent one, and only through learning that there was violence in the world and having it directed at him did he himself become violent. Hobbes' theory that man is unsociable and should live solitarily can be argued either way, but when thought about with the idea that the monster shouldn't have been brought to life in the first place, and that all he got out of life was trouble and despair, it does to an extent give the impression that humans would be saved a lot of heartbreak and unhappiness if they lived alone. On the other hand, the only thing the monster really longs for is a real companion to keep him company, which in the end is what most people want.