After Dorian murders Basil, the young man struggles with emotional stability. Although Dorian is extremely selfish when viewing his crime, it is clear that he feels guilty about what he has done. After Dorian wakes up the morning after the murder, he struggles to ignore what has happened: "Gradually the events of the preceding night crept with silent blood stained feet into his brain, and reconstructed themselves there with terrible distinctness. He winced at the memory of all that he had suffered" (118). Despite the fact that Dorian violently murdered Basil and caused the artist a painful death, Dorian is concerned about his suffering from the previous night. His selfish nature shines through his initial outlook on the murder, but Dorian struggles with consistency as he continues to reflect on the night before.
As Dorian attempts to ignore the crimes he has committed, he is unsuccessful and the thought of Basil creeps into his mind. Contradicting his previous self-concerned thought, Dorian thinks, "Poor Basil! What a horrible way for a man to die!" (120). Although Dorian's selfish nature and indifference towards others dominates his life, his actions are so extreme that he cannot ignore his guilt. The closest things Dorian has done that remotely resemble murder are the suicides of people that were once close to him. In those instances Dorian does not hold himself responsible for his friends deaths because he cannot be incriminated or realistically held responsible by outsiders. In Basil's case, Dorian knowingly murders the man and can be arrested for his crime. Additionally, Dorian knows every detail about the artist's horrific death, and is scarred by the experience.
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