From the moment of his "birth," the Creature in Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein," is shunned by humans because of his repugnant looks. His creator/father, Victor Frankenstein, disavows his creation because of his ugliness, abandoning the frightened Creature to learn and wander on his own. This abandonment is where the education of the creature begins. At this stage of his educational development, the creature learns with sensations: light, dark, hot, cold, etc. These broad sensations eventually break down into more specific sensations and ideas. His "eyes became accustomed to the light and to perceive objects in their right form" (212). He can distinguish "the insect from the herb, and by degrees, one herb from another" (212). The Creature develops and learns the essentials of survival under animalistic circumstances, rather then human circumstances, such as classism, mannerism and etiquette. The first time the Creature interacts with a human besides Frankenstein, the human is startled by the Creature's ugliness and flees from the his sight, while the Creature is enchanted by the human's form:.
An old man sat in it [the cabin], near a fire, over which he was preparing his breakfast. He turned on hearing a noise; and perceiving me, shrieked loudly, and quitting the hut, ran across the field with a speed of which his debilitated form hardly appeared capable. His appearance, different from any I had before seen, and his flight somewhat surprised me. (213-214) .
This shows the reader the humans fleeing away from the sight of the Creature for a second time, an indication that his image must be especially horrific. Also, the Creature is unable to notice that the humans are scared of him because of his appearance. At this point in his education, he does not know enough about humans to identify their emotions, and is only worried about survival. The Creature begins to understand the concept of shelter when he discovers the man's home.