Abridged by N.K. Seshan

The Invisible Man to whom the title refers is Griffin, a scientist who has devoted himself to research into optics and who invents a way to change a body's refractive index to that of air so that it neither absorbs nor reflects light. He carries out this procedure on himself and renders himself invisible, but fails in his attempt to reverse it. A practitioner of random and irresponsible violence, Griffin has become an iconic character in horror fiction.
He was an egocentric and he judged everything only in relation to himself. He would grab anything he needed and destroy, without the least hesitation, anybody who stood in his way. The misadventures of this maniac have been woven into a wonderful narrative by H.G. Wells.
Scientific knowledge devoid of a sense of social responsibility can only be destructive. Science is a powerful weapon and those who wield it must be balanced, sane and responsible in order to use that weapon for the benefit of mankind; science in the hands of maniacs who can think only in terms of personal power is bound to be ruinous to themselves and to society. This seems to be the message of this brilliant work in science fiction.