Sinister Street · Chapter
III: Fears and Fantasies explained
During his recovery from whooping cough, Michael discovers a large illustrated edition of Don Quixote in the library, which deeply influences him.
What happens
During his recovery from whooping cough, Michael discovers a large illustrated edition of Don Quixote in the library, which deeply influences him. He is moved to tears by the knight's struggles, seeing parallels with his own mild hardships. After his illness, Nurse moves him to sleep alone in a separate room, where he endures nightly terrors—fear of mice, murderers, and supernatural beings. His fears are compounded by a recurring nightmare of walking down an endless, empty street pursued by a bony hound, culminating in a dread of a door slowly opening. One night, his terror drives him downstairs to find Nurse, Mrs. Frith, and Annie in a strange, nightmarish state; Annie comforts him and returns him to bed.
Themes in this chapter
Childhood and Formation
Michael's discovery of Don Quixote and his intense nighttime fears shape his early worldview and emotional development.
The Passage of Time and Memory
The chapter vividly captures Michael's memory of his childhood terrors and the long, fearful nights that marked his early years.
Characters to notice
- Michael Fane
Discovers Don Quixote and is profoundly moved; experiences intense nighttime fears and a recurring nightmare.
- Nurse
Moves Michael to a separate room; appears with a red face in the kitchen, frightening Michael.
- Nanny
Tells Michael frightening tales about mice and a woman who choked; comforts him after he goes downstairs.
- Mrs. Frith
Seen in the kitchen with Nurse and Annie, appearing nightmarish to Michael.
Key passages
“He would pore over this work for hours, forgetting everything under a spell of chivalry. He read the tale seriously and thought it the saddest tale ever known. He wept over the knight's adventures, and big teardrops would spatter the page.”
Michael would spend hours absorbed in the book, captivated by its chivalric themes. He took the story to heart, considering it the saddest he had ever read, and cried openly over the knight's misfortunes.
Illustrates Michael's deep emotional engagement with Don Quixote.
“The night was divided into two portions of equal horror. First of all he had to concentrate on closing his mouth when asleep, because Annie had told him a tale about a woman who slept with her mouth open, the result of which bad habit was that one night a mouse ran down it and choked her.”
Michael's night was split into two equally terrifying parts. The first involved forcing himself to keep his mouth shut while sleeping, due to Annie's story of a woman who was choked by a mouse that entered her open mouth.
Shows how folklore and warnings from adults fueled Michael's childhood anxieties.
“He would find himself alone in a long street in the middle of the night. Usually it would be shining with wet, but sometimes it would be dry and airless. This street stretched as far as one could see. It had on either side lampposts which burned with a steady staring illumination, long rows of lampposts that converged in the farthest distance.”
In his recurring nightmare, Michael is alone on an endless street at night, often wet but sometimes dry and still. The street is lined with lampposts that cast a fixed, staring light, converging in the distance.
Describes the setting of Michael's repetitive and terrifying dream.