 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets continues the examination of what makes a person who he or she is , which began in the first book . As well as maintaining that Harry 's identity is shaped by his decisions rather than any aspect of his birth , Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets provides contrasting characters who try to conceal their true personalities : as Tammy Nezol puts it , Gilderoy Lockhart " lacks any real identity " because he is nothing more than a charming liar . Riddle also complicates Harry 's struggle to understand himself by pointing out the similarities between the two : " both half @-@ bloods , orphans raised by Muggles , probably the only two Parselmouths to come to Hogwarts since the great Slytherin . " 
