Every Last Secret

The Ryders’ home represents Obsession with Wealth and Status, and the book repeatedly compares the Ryder and Winthorpe houses. Consider Neena’s comment, “I was overwhelmed by the discrepancies between us. Cat and me. William and Matt. Their gorgeous showcase mansion and our ugly foreclosure” (36). While Matt makes a good living, they can afford only a foreclosure in Cat and William’s neighborhood. A house can also be a symbol of a family or marital union. The word choices in Cat’s comment is telling: “A sociopathic blonde with boundary issues wasn’t going to bring down my house” (103). Cat’s entire mission in the book is to protect her relationship and her security with William, as represented by her home. Still, Neena says, “Being naked in Cat’s bed was a fantasy I was already entertaining” (89) because she equates being inside an intimate space—both the house and the Winthorpes’ bed—with her power to usurp Cat’s place. Cat, recognizing Neena’s aspirations, defends her home by defending her union with William. The pinnacle of Cat’s victory comes at the book’s end, when William and Cat purchase the Ryders’ old home and raze it. Cat literally brings down Neena’s home, instead of the other way around.