"I[Basil] want you[Dorian] to lead such a life as will make the world respect you. I want you to have a clean name and a fair record" (156).
Basil is spoiling Dorian; instead of see the bad that he has done and being upset with him, he attempts to shame Dorian into fixing himself. Unfortunately, and as much as it pains me to say this, Dorian is too far gone to fix himself. Not only that, but Basil is the greatest culprit of blind optimisim; he truly wishes to see Dorian beautiful inside and out. But by doing this, he is only encouraging Dorian. When Basil says "You have a wonderful influence. Let it be for good, not for evil" (156), Dorian stops listening at 'influence'; Basil encourages Dorian's behavior by telling him what he can do to people, and by how Basil reacts to him.
"How quickly it had all been done! [Dorian] felt strangely calm"(163)
Dorian has fallen deeper into his pit of sin; he has killed his best friend, Basil. Oddly enough, after he has committed the murder, he acts removed from the situation, analyzing it in the strangest way. He attempts to excuse himself: "There had been a madness of murder in the air. Some red star had come to close to the earth" (164). Then, he justifys it by saying "And yet what evidence was there against him? "(164). This sounds like he is almost proud of what he had done. One question remains unanswered: What will become of the portrait? Will the horror of the painting increase dramatically?
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