2. How might the world was to me a secret which I desired to divine, as stated by

It serves as characterization by showing that Victor is ambitious and willing to gain more knowledge about science and the world.

Explanation:

Characterization is a literary device that uses words or actions to tell the personality of a character. It can be direct (stated clearly in the text) or it can be indirect (said in such a way that makes it left for readers to decide).

The statement “The world was to me a secret which I desire to divine” stated by Victor serves as characterization. It shows how curious and ambitious Victor is as a person and how wiling he is to grow and become more knowledgeable in science.

Gerald is described as 'an attractive chap about thirty, rather too manly to be a dandy but very much the easy well-bred young man-about-town'. Mr Birling is very pleased that Gerald is getting engaged to Sheila because his family are upper-class business owners, Mr Birling hopes they can join forces in business.