John Fowles's The Collector is the story of a man named Frederick Clegg who through his obsession decided to kidnap a young woman named Miranda Grey. Clegg's actions were well thought out, from the aluminium cutlery to the locks on the doors, which proved that keeping his victim was extremely important. This elaborate set up, however, took its toll on Clegg. He was unable to do anything without thinking about Miranda, and this left him imprisoned much like his victim. Feeding her, allowing her to have a bath, and ensuring that she could never escape were jobs that demanded fulltime attention and planning. He convinced himself that Miranda was the purpose of his life and he would never give her up. He voluntarily made himself a prisoner.
Frederick Clegg's obsession for Miranda developed at the start of the novel, which ultimately made him captive. "In the evening I marked [her] in my observations diary, at first with X, and when I knew her name with M"(1). When Clegg won the lottery it gave him all the free time he needed to pursue her. He learned as much as he could by just watching her. Clegg learned about Miranda being an art student, knew where she lived because her house was across from his workplace, saw where she ate with friends, and tried to figure out her routine to ensure he could keep an eye on her. He was neglecting his life to watch her live hers. .
When his Aunt Annie and cousin Mabel left to Australia, Clegg not only had time, but he was then able to make a plan to kidnap Miranda without interruption. "I worked for a month or more getting my plans ready. I was alone all the time; not having any real friends was lucky"(19). Clegg worked to create and maintain a secluded environment by sending anyone who came to the door away immediately. He "wanted nothing to do with the [people of the] village"(18) and that helped finalize the security of his prison. This divulgence of information from the start helped to create a clear understanding of how fixated Clegg was on Miranda.