The divided self of Robert Louis Stevenson is a concept used to suggest a dichotomy between the vicious, deceptive and physical nature of character seen in many of his novels and stories. It is an idea that is particularly strong in his famous novella, Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The basic idea is that the true nature of man can be divided into these two sides—the vengeful and violent aspects of his character, and the humane and rational side. In Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Stevenson uses the character of Dr. Jekyll to represent the civilized side, and Mr. Hyde as his darker and more animalistic side. Stevenson suggests that these two sides are easily in conflict with each other and can be further divided into separate personalities. The idea of the divided self can be seen in other stories by Stevenson, such as The Master of Ballantrae, which also tells of a man who is self-divided, between his vengeful and violent sides, and his more compassionate and gentle sides. The idea of a divided self can be seen as a way of examining the human nature, and the idea of a duality between the good and evil sides of human character.