One of the main moral teachings of the story is that love between two people cannot be forced. It also highlights the need for every human to be loved. These two concepts meet in the form of Erik (the Phantom), who has a fierce, one-sided and possessive love for Christine. For example, he says: "Know that I am built up of death from head to foot and that this is a corpse that loves you and adores you and will never, never leave you!" Erik's form of love is contrasted with the mutually reciprocated love between Christine and Raoul.