FEAR CAN KEEP ONE PRISONER TO ONE’S OWN MALICIOUS THOUGHTS. Roderick Usher tells the narrator he blames his house for his discomposure. This very superstition is what keeps him from leaving what he fears, as is noted by the narrator on page 10 when he says “He [Usher] was enchained by certain superstitious impressions in regard to the dwelling which he tenanted, and whence, for many years, he had never ventured forth--in regard to an influence . . . an influence which some peculiarities in the mere form and substance of his family mansion had . . . he said, obtained over his spirit . . . had, at length, brought upon the morale of his existence.” This same superstition is shared by the narrator when he enters the house, observes the decor, and