The human mind is so truly complex. We possess both good and bad in varying degrees within us. Most of us stay on the side of the line where we're behaving according to the rules written by society. Even if we indulge in any sort of action that could be 'judged' as bad by others, we have a tendency to hide these actions. We know that once we step on the other side of the line, it's a one-way route.
But there have always been people who're fascinated by the thrill and adrenaline rush they get by doing things which are bad or punishable. They've reached the point of no return and somewhere the high they once achieved by easy money and accomplishments serves as a constant push to get more and experience more. More of what? Maybe money, fame, power or a mix of all.
On my recent visit to Edinburgh, I discovered a fascinating story of a prominent member of the society who was respected and looked up to by nearly everyone in the city. Deacon Brodie was a cabinet maker, locksmith , deacon of a trades guild and a city councillor. As a cabinetmaker, some part of his work was to install and repair locks and other security mechanisms. He befriended the rich aristocrats who lived in the new city at the bottom of the hill and provided his services during the day. These relations with rich people were to his advantage, but also got him into bad habits like gambling and spending his money unwisely. He apparently had two mistresses to take care of too. So, at some point he started making copies of the keys he created and stealing from the homes of his clients.
People were far from imagining that it was their beloved member of society, Deacon Brodie who was behind this deceit. For several years, the population even asked Brodie himself to help them find the culprit. Brodie of course kept a poker face all the while and it was only when his greed got so big that he employed people to steal with and for him that he was exposed. He fled to Holland and would have stayed there had he not written letters to his mistresses which were discovered.
Brodie was brought back to Edinburgh and apparently hanged at the gallows that he had constructed. Several years later, the writer Robert Louis Stevenson, whose father owned furniture made by Brodie, wrote the story of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde. Stevenson was fascinated by the dichotomy between the two faces that Brodie showed the world. The one, a respectable image and the other its polar opposite.
You can read the details of Brodie's life in the link below.
I would like to thank our walking tour guide Melanie Boyd a.k.a 'CanadianScot' on Insta for telling us this story during our visit.
I'm adding some other photos of our tour below.
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| Typical English Breakfast |
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| The Writer's Museum |
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| Castle Rock |
You can enjoy the full photo album of Edinburgh here
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