Throughout history, men and women have been forced to conform to stereotypical social roles. In particular, patriarchal Victorians valued courage in men and disapproved of all forms of freethinking in women. Stoker's Dracula takes these stereotypes into account by not only promoting them but also ironically subverting them. Stoker then takes these stereotypes associated with both genders and nuances them to create each character, proving that there are no true gender-based roles. Instead, Stoker creates the idea that men and women have equal value in society, and it is the influence of social and situational factors that creates perceived courage or docility. The protagonist of the story, Jonathan Harker, a young First when Harker arrives, it is Dracula who serves him dinner, rather Dracula's brides. In Victorian society, women were expected to take care of the home, including cleaning and cooking. Stoker, however, confuses these gender roles by making Dracula the keeper of the house. This confusion continues, when Dracula sees his brides attempting to drink Harker's blood. He comes to Harker's rescue, telling the brides “This man belongs to me! Be careful how you meddle with him, otherwise you will have to deal with me!" and Harker ““Yes, I can love too”; (Stoker 37). Dracula acts in a certain sense in a maternal way towards Harker, protecting him from evil of women As a result, Dracula feeds his bride a child and, instead of showing him gratitude, laughs in his face. In each of these situations, Dracula is shown as a caregiver and an inhabitant of the house, characteristics that were only given to women during the Victorian age. He subverts such stereotypes to refute them, proving that the Victorian ideals of men and women were valid. By confusing the roles of men and women, Stoker destroys all the sexist beliefs of the time, proving that women and men are equal and it is only perception that makes them seem unequal. The character of Mina Harker shows the best of both men and women, creating their own role in society. It shows that, in fact, it is up to the individual to determine what kind of role they want play in society, rather than letting society choose the role he or she plays.