Monsters appear throughout Dory Fantasmagory and take many forms. The illustrations show the monsters from Dory’s point of view, superimposing them on scenes of reality. Dory points out monsters that lurk in silly or shadowy parts of her house like the ketchup bottle or the broken drawer. These monsters represent Dory’s tendency to narrativize the world around her and construct stories to explain scary, silly, or broken things. She also uses the monsters as an excuse to connect with her siblings, sometimes overstepping their boundaries and barging in on them while changing or using the bathroom. Dory wants to fit in or seem like a worthy sister, and she often leverages her fabled stories to get their attention or appear interesting.

Dory also describes her imaginary friend, Mary as a monster, portraying her with pointy horns, sharp teeth, and stripes. Despite Mary’s appearance, Dory isn’t scared of Mary at all; in fact, Dory often feels brave and empowered compared to Mary, who tends to hide under the bed. Dory isn’t particularly afraid of the other monsters either. Dory often uses the monsters to feel brave and empowered, commenting on how all the monsters are terrified of

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