Superstition in Dracula

Many of the characters in Dracula are not superstitious at first. First, when Jonathan watches Dracula jump off his balcony and climb up the walls of his castle, he wonders if he can do that. He also is a little startled by Dracula reaching for his throat with intensely angry eyes, but he just finds it odd and nothing more. When Lucy is repeatedly bitten, everyone assumes the bite marks are from safety pins, despite her obviously declining health. As she is dying and on the verge of death, no one seems to understand what is going on. Additionally, when Mina sees a mysterious cloud float through the town at night on several occasions, she is suspicious but doesn't think much of it, despite it lingering near Lucy. Only once Lucy has died and eventually brought back as a vampire do people become superstitious. However, Van Helsing is superstitious from the beginning, and he understands the situation better than anyone. When Lucy is dying, he makes sure to cover her house in garlic and give her a garlic necklace. Even after Lucy dies, he puts a cross in her mouth and puts garlic on her body. He is also able to work with Mina to use Harker's journal and gain a better understanding of who Dracula is and what his intentions are. Van Helsing is the only character who is superstitious throughout, which makes him the most important person in stopping Dracula.