Ne touchez point au chat

The Gothic mood is so captivating — I wonder if the author drew from real locations or crafted an entirely fictional world. How much of the setting was based on personal experience?

The characters seem to carry so much weight beneath their words — I kept guessing what they were hiding. Was this sense of mystery intentional from the start?

The ghostly hints and mysterious occurrences added a chilling tone, but I wondered if they were meant to be literal or more psychological. What do others think the supernatural signified?