seclusion-and-isolation

Stephen Black accompanies Sir Walter Pole's carriage through a bleak Yorkshire moor to reach Starecross Hall, a secluded madhouse where Lady Pole is to be cared for. Stephen meets John Segundus, the inexperienced madhouse-keeper and a magician himself, who explains the origins of the madhouse and its intended kindness toward Lady Pole. The chapter highlights the tension between magic, madness, and care, as well as the isolation and uncertainty surrounding Lady Pole's condition and treatment.