"Something about the inhabitants can be deduced from the exterior view of a house or an apartment, but there is usually far more information indoors. There, choices of furniture and decoration are a complex language that most of us can read, though perhaps unconsciously or incompletely.

"Any home, especially one that has been lived in for quite a while, is a three-dimensional text. Sometimes what it has to tell us is not intentional, but in other cases things have been deliberately arranged to inform us about the inhabitants' tastes, interests, history, and political and religious opinions and beliefs. If they have children, the kids' artworks and craft projects may be abundantly displayed, often in the kitchen. Souvenirs and trophies will call our attention to trips or residencies abroad, regional origin or allegiance, or to the countries ancestors came from.

"For many people, the home is a kind of sacred site, one that is chosen carefully and honored in memory; sometimes it may be revisited long after they have moved away. When all is well, ritual occasions such as births and marriages and deaths will be celebrated there. In many cases the home will contain one or more altars upon which family photographs are displayed, with prominence given to the most prominent members of the family, and to important events like graduations and weddings. There may also be framed diplomas and awards, and photos of ancestors, sports teams, and professional gatherings. Family members may appear with friends and schoolmates or in the company of local or national celebrities. In almost all the photos everyone will be smiling, suggesting that they are happy and successful and enjoy their lives.

"Over the years, the altar will undergo gradual changes as family members are born, grow up, marry, give birth, age, and die. Visitors may be encouraged to observe and admire new pictures and ask questions about them. As time passes, more and more photographs will be added. A divorce or serious family scandal, however, may result in the temporary diminution or destruction of the display; later it may be reestablished in a new form in which some gods have been dethroned, and others elevated.

"A tendency to personify the home also appears in the custom of giving it a name: from dignified ones for a large, solid structure, to cute nicknames for vacation cottages. The more identification and personification there is, the more likely it is that any harm to the structure will be felt as a personal injury. Storm damage is like a wound to one's own body, and the emotional effects of burglary resemble those of a rape. When a beloved house is totally destroyed by fire, flood, or tornado, its inhabitants may feel as if a close friend or relative — or in extreme cases, they themselves — has died."