In this section we see HH spark of insanity, he is becoming more and more nervous and in a form sloppy with how he treats Lolita and the way he handles each situation that is presented to him. This section clearly shows that what he feels for Lolita isnt love, but he is just obsessed with the fact his nymphet fantasy was being carried out with Lolita and just the thought of it ending anytime soon frightens him to have him do anything to prevent it, ANYTHING!!
We first see HH take measures in preventing Lolita from leaving his side was in page 150 when he warns her of the dangers of telling the police of their little arrangement. This line utterly disgusted me “Don’t you think that under the circumstances Dolores Haze had better stick to her old man?” ..what joy it must of felt for him to say such a thing to Lolita after finding out about her mothers death and reminding her that she is completely alone in this world and of course to her “luck” she gets stuck with a child molester as her only comfort.
HH starts to emphasize that Lolita is his little pet, aging mistress, his monkey, his captive “children under 12 free, Lo a young captive.”(157) “The reader may well imagine what I answered my pet..”(160) The most disturbing thing is the plans that HH had for Lolita, since he cannot control her aging and having her leave his precious nymphet stage he thought that why not have Lolita produce a child of his own blood that he can molest and have another nymphet all to himself ” I would have to get rid of somehow of a difficult adolescent who’s magic nymphage had evaporated—to the thought that with patience and luck i might have her produce eventually a nymphet with my blood in her exquisite veins, a Lolita the second…” I mean i can’t prove more from this line how insane Humbert really is, only a monster would even have the thought of molesting his OWN child and then from his child bearing yet another child, a Lolita the third…its revolting to see Humbert process these ideas and the monstrosity of whats in store for Lolita.
A particular section that frighten me was the end section of chapter 17 in page 216 when Humbert is meditating while holding a caliber .32 and how he was glad he had i with him ready for instant service, during this part i see Humbert evolve to something else and even more when in the following page in 217 he referred to himself as “being a murderer with a sensational but incomplete and unorthodox memory…” i felt this as a foreshadow and feared for Lolita’s safety if she ever tried to run away from Humbert.
