How do seemingly benign aspects of Eleanor’s personality—her vivid imagination, her self-consciousness—begin to gradually appear problematic? Is Eleanor’s identity already tenuous before she arrives at Hill House, or does Hill House cause the rupture in her?

Discuss Eleanor’s relationship with her mother. Why does Jackson refrain from revealing details, instead choosing to include only vague references? Is Eleanor’s mother truly a presence in the house, or is Eleanor suffering from grief, regret, or guilt? Does the novel suggest the two are mutually exclusive?

Dr. Montague suggests on several occasions that the only danger they face is within themselves. This theory would mean that Eleanor is responsible for, or at least capable of preventing, her own destruction. However, Dr. Montague proves inefficient in his studies: He never comes to any conclusions about Hill House, and his paper is ill received. Are we to trust Dr. Montague’s assessment? Is Eleanor truly the source of her own destruction, or is Dr. Montague’s insistence that “[t]he only damage done is by the victim to himself” (102) a form of gaslighting?