# Mary — The House on the Borderland character guide

> Mary in The House on the Borderland by William Hope Hodgson.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** herself

**First appearance:** 0003-the-house-on-the-borderland

## Snapshot

The recluse's sister, the only living soul who knows of his lost love, sharing the house and its mounting perils beside him.

## Who they are

Mary lives with her brother in the isolated house and is the sole confidante of his grief over the woman he loved and lost. She stays through the visions and the siege, bound to him by kinship rather than by any pull of the supernatural. Her quiet presence makes the house a home even as it becomes a trap.

## Relationships

### [Pepper](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_borderland_se/characters/pepper)

_social_

Mary interacts with Pepper as a household pet, caring for him but with less intense attachment than the Recluse.

## In the story

### [V: The Thing in the Pit](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_borderland_se/chapters/v-the-thing-in-the-pit)

The narrator's sister; inquires about Pepper's injury and shows doubt about the narrator's explanation.

### [VI: The Swine-Things](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_borderland_se/chapters/vi-the-swine-things)

Sister of the recluse; flees from the swine-things and is sent to her room for safety.

### [VIII: After the Attack](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_borderland_se/chapters/viii-after-the-attack)

Found trying to unbar the back door in a state of fear; the narrator locks her in her room for her safety.

### [X: The Time of Waiting](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_borderland_se/chapters/x-the-time-of-waiting)

Recovers from her terror, speaks sanely, and resumes household duties, though she remains fearful of the doors and avoids mentioning the past days.

### [XIII: The Trap in the Great Cellar](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_borderland_se/chapters/xiii-the-trap-in-the-great-cellar)

The narrator's sister, who nurses him back to health during his illness.

### [XIV: The Sea of Sleep](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_borderland_se/chapters/xiv-the-sea-of-sleep)

Mentioned as the narrator's sister, the only one who knows of his past love.

### [XXV: The Thing from the Arena](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_borderland_se/chapters/xxv-the-thing-from-the-arena)

Bustles about the kitchen; tries to coax the dog from his kennel; remains unaware of the supernatural events.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_borderland_se/characters/mary
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_borderland_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_borderland_se/characters