Question

The door, which was equipped with neither bell nor knocker, was blistered and distained. Tramps slouched into the recess and struck matches on the panels; children kept shop upon the steps; the schoolboy had tried his knife on the mouldings; and for close on a generation, no one had appeared to drive away these random visitors or to repair their ravages.

–The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,
Robert Louis Stevenson

In what way is the setting characteristic of gothic fiction?

The house is decaying.
The house is crowded.
The house is ancient.
The house is pleasant.

Answer 1

The house is decaying.

The description—“blistered and distained,” vandalized mouldings, tramps and children using it, and long neglect—emphasizes dilapidation and gloom, a key Gothic characteristic.