This scene took several attempts to write. Chapters 6, 7, and 8 were always the most loosely sketched of the entire story and required an extra intensive re-outlining process before I could tackle each chapter in particular. This scene is a result of that new outline. Originally, Hyde had better luck beating Jekyll down emotionally, and Jekyll doesn't rally the strength to tell him off until the beginning of Chapter 7. That felt repetitive somehow--we already saw Hyde getting under Jekyll's skin in Chapter 2, and having Jekyll bend under the pressure of Hyde's taunts just didn't feel very interesting at this point in the story. So I rewrote the scene--and really this affects the whole chapter--with the idea that Jekyll isn't affected at all by Hyde's taunts--or at least has enough resolve not to show it. After all, he's been dealing with Hyde's taunts for two years now (and, subconsciously, for his entire life). He knows what to expect from Hyde and how to properly ignore him--at least when he has sufficient motivation to do so. And he has plenty of motivation right now. After all, the last time he caved to Hyde's pressure, it inadvertently lead to all the Lodgers ending up arrested. Emotional weakness would be downright selfish at a time like this. Also there are a lot of adaptations where a waif-like, weepy-eyed Jekyll spends most of the narrative cowering in Hyde's shadow. Not that this Jekyll doesn't have his weepy-eyed moments, but usually he can stand up for himself a bit more.