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A spark from his pipe had left a tiny burn on the rose brocade of a chair in the drawing room; Constance had not yet noticed it and I thought not to tell her because I had hoped that the house, injured, would reject him by itself.

In Chapter 6, Merricat is distressed watching Charles make himself at home. He leaves his newspapers everywhere, creating mess, and the whole place smells of his pipe. To Merricat, the burn mark left on the rose brocade is particularly offensive; it is a permanent mark on their family home, in their mother’s drawing room which they keep spotless despite rarely using the room. Charles’s mess is indicative of the fact that his very presence is disagreeable, a blemish upon their environment, and Merricat personifies the house by hoping it will reject him. This moment also serves as a piece of foreshadowing; later, in Chapter 8, Merricat uses the pipe and the newspapers to start a fire that ultimately leads to the destruction of the house and the exclusion of Charles.

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