Isolation and Community Secrecy

The town of Marlborough is isolated and its inhabitants are taciturn, hiding a collective secret that manifests in their reticence and the mysterious, forbidden Westcott farm.

The Westcotts are ostracized and self-sufficient, and the town of Marlborough is characterized by an 'excessive reticence' and a refusal to answer questions about its history.

The night journey through a dark, silent landscape and the locked doors of the Westcott farm emphasize the secrecy and isolation of the valley's inhabitants.

Westcott's deliberate seclusion and his dismissal of neighbors underscore the theme of isolation and the secrecy of the community.

Marlborough is depicted as a sequestered, insular community with a hidden, profound secret beneath its taciturn exterior.