Demonic villains telepathically read their victims' minds [causal]
Zofloya's knowledge of black magic and miraculous powers also point to his demonic nature. When he returns from his disappearance, Zofloya reports that he was saved from certain death by his "possession of a secret transmitted to me by my ancestors." These ancestors are Moors, African Muslims who dabbled in black magic. In addition to sorcery, Zofloya is telepathic, able to read Victoria's mind, a power that Dracula and other monsters also possess.
XREF: Connects Zofloya's telepathy to Dracula and other gothic monsters, showing a shared convention in gothic literary tradition.
Sophia Rose Arjana, Muslims in the Western Imag…, loc. 499