Character Analysis
At first, Lissa and Rose totally trust Victor—in fact, he's the first person Rose is even happy to see when she and Lissa get back to the academy. He's caring, sweet, and he's got a nasty disease, so it's hard not to feel sorry for the guy.
Even his daughter, Natalie, seems like just about the most naïve girl around. She's not into the royal scene, doesn't give much credence to the Queen dissing Lissa, and seems genuinely interested in striking up a friendship with her cousin. If only we knew that it's all just a ploy.
It turns out scheming Victor set the whole thing up: he just wanted his daughter to get all buddy-buddy with the princess so he could use her healing powers. His transformation from kind (almost) uncle to dark and twisty villain is a radical one, and we'll admit we didn't see it coming. It's a good lesson for Rose, though, who thinks she know everything about everyone, but in reality, has a hard time reading people.
Let's Start a Revolution
Yet Victor doesn't just want to be healed by his niece—he's also interested in changing the entire Moroi-guardian system. He's sick of the fact that Moroi numbers are dropping and wants to do something about it, instead of just sitting by.
He believes so much in his cause that he gets his own daughter to change into a Strigoi so he can have a chance at changing the way things work. To him, sacrifice is worth it. Well, that's easy to say when it's someone else (Natalie, Lissa) doing the sacrificing. What he tells Rose sticks with her though: "The greatest and most powerful revolutions often start very quietly, hidden in the shadows" (23.71).
Creepy, much? Victor wants to transform society, not just himself or the academy. We're betting this isn't the last we'll see of Victor in the series, but we also think this comment is worth discussing on its own. He hints that a revolution is already underway—but it's happening in secret, behind closed doors so no one suspects it.
Victor's Timeline