Welcome to Dead House

Teamwork and trust play a large role throughout Welcome to Dead House. The characters struggle with trusting both themselves and others, finding that they can make better choices and take more appropriate actions when trust is present. Through Amanda’s relationships with her parents, Josh, and Mr. Dawes, the novel shows how teamwork is key to success while also highlighting the dangers of placing trust in the wrong people.

From the first time that Amanda sees a strange figure inside Dead House, she begins to wonder if there’s something odd about the house and town. However, whenever she brings these concerns to her parents, they are shot down because her parents are too busy to listen and too unwilling to believe what Amanda is saying. This divides Amanda and her parents, who she finds she cannot trust with her feelings and concerns. As a result, Amanda feels isolated and starts to doubt what she sees and experiences, which leads to problems with self-trust and ultimately puts her family in greater danger. As a child, Amanda looks to her parents for guidance and understanding, and their dismissive attitude symbolizes the power that adults have over children’s abilities to trust themselves and others.