Hochhauser’s recurring images and descriptions of Bramley Hall act as a motif for Women’s Survival Within a Rigid Patriarchal System. When Lady Tremaine first moved into Bramley Hall after her marriage, she was astounded by the beautiful manor and the expansive, lush grounds. The place initially represented everything Lady Tremaine had worked for: a secure, lavish future with a stable member of the gentility. However, over time, this place that Lady Tremaine thought would cement her family stability began to literally and figuratively crumble: “But the years had passed and what had felt luxurious and ornamental had become onerous and decrepit” (17). The elegant ironwork on the front gate once “emulated the delicate tendrils of a climbing vine” but is now “broken (rusted, permanently, to stay open)” (17). The apple trees on the property once boasted comfort and plenty but are now overgrown and sagging.

On paper, Lady Tremaine owns the manor and the surrounding land and bears the title of a nobleman, but she’s hiding behind the facade of comfort. Meanwhile, the ceiling is crumbling, and the house is filled with rubble. Lady Tremaine has sold off almost all of Lord Bramley’s beautiful paintings and decor to maintain the home as it is, leaving most of the rooms nearly barren.