"The Haunting of Hill House"

Shirley Jackson's "The Haunting of Hill House" plays a lot on the idea of a dysfunctional family. Each character has a poor relationship with their biological family and form a family-like relationship with each other in Hill House. However, Eleanor becomes to attached to the people and the house, and becomes influenced through its supernatural effects.

I think that the House serves a bit like a surrogate mother, affecting both Luke and Eleanor especially because those two did not have strong ties with their own mothers. And while Theodore and Dr. Montague both dislike the creepy atmosphere, Luke and Eleanor find something protective and welcoming within its confines.