House of Stairs

Content Warning: The narrative includes depictions of bullying, physical violence, and psychological abuse.

House of Stairs explores the impact of an authoritarian regime on social and individual development by placing five characters in a highly controlled and alienating environment. The house of stairs itself can be interpreted as an extreme version of authoritarianism, which is characterized by the enforcement of authority through coercion, manipulation, and even violence. In addition, the way in which the protagonists refer to their lives outside the house of stairs paints a picture of an oppressive and segregated society, which informs their belief system and their self-identities.

Blossom, for instance, comes from a wealthy, upper-class background and therefore enjoyed material and social privileges, including living in a house and eating real meat, that the others have never known. By contrast, the other four teenagers grew up in residential megastructures and have only ever eaten processed food. They also reveal that schools are segregated by gender because they are told that it is “immoral to get very intimate with anyone” (59). In other words, the characters have only ever experienced a society that discourages genuine human bonds, community support, and a connection with their natural environment.