We Have Always Lived in the Castle society & value guide
Blackwood society treats family duty as law, rewarding inherited roles and mistrusting outsiders. Merricat protects Constance as “the most precious person”, but their devotion deepens dependence, secrecy and conflict with Charles and the village.
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If loyalty to family feels like a duty, when does it become a form of control? Merricat sees Constance as “the most precious person” and acts to preserve their private world, but that devotion demands secrecy and resistance to change. Would you call their bond protective, imprisoning, or both—and what might happen when an outsider claims a place in the family?
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