We are unfashioned creatures, but half made up, if one wiser, better, dearer than ourselves—such a friend ought to be—do not lend his aid to perfectionate our weak and faulty natures.
Letters, Letter 4 · Victor Frankenstein
Context
Victor explains to Walton why friendship matters, arguing that humans are incomplete without a wiser companion to help perfect their flawed natures.
Analysis
Victor describes people as "unfashioned creatures, but half made up"—borrowing the language of manufacturing to talk about human identity. This diction is darkly ironic given that Victor literally fashioned a creature and then abandoned it half-formed (emotionally and socially). He articulates a theory of human need for guidance at the very moment readers know he failed catastrophically to provide it.
Essay Tip
Use this to argue that Shelley uses dramatic irony to indict Victor—his accurate diagnosis of human incompleteness becomes damning evidence against him, since he denied the creature exactly the mentorship and companionship he now claims is essential to becoming fully human.