In The Room in the Attic, David, the protagonist, is infatuated with his friend’s little sister. David befriends a guy named Wolf, who spends most of his time reading or contemplating the nature of people. Over time David and Wolf become close friends. Wolf invites David over to meet Isabel, Wolf’s sister who lives in the dark. On David’s first visit to Wolf‘s, Wolf introduces David to Isabel. Later, David starts to visit Isabel regularly. During their visits, Isabel plays games where David has to trust her. David begins to imagine what Isabel might look like. He thinks random women could be Isabel. Why does David spend so much time with a girl he can‘t see, just hear? David covers his eyes so he won’t see Isabel when the chance arises to finally see how she looks; he turns and leaves to never return.
One can find examples of the fantastic in fiction in Millhauser’s The Room in the Attic, in which he explores the idea of imagination and wonder, and how they can affect one’s life. Some may view this story as a metaphor for addiction. David depended on Isabel. It is his habit to visit her house, talk to her, and think about her constantly. David’s addiction would have ended if he had looked at her when she opened the curtains. It is impossible to separate addiction from imagination. David spent a lot of time imagining how Isabel could have looked: everything from the color of her hair to how she would have worn her dress. Our imagination provides us with the opportunity to think what if? People tend to flee from reality when confronted with it. Without a sense of wonder, there is nothing left for the imagination, which can lead to disappointment or despair. So was David scared to see Isabel because he would be disappointed?
In Dangerous Laughter, the story focuses on these laughing clubs. Kids came together to laugh at their amusement. A cult-like feeling is created by the constant laughter in the story. Following this introduction, we learn of Clara. Clara is a bit of an oddity among her classmates; she is described as a stiff character who seems to act like those around her as well as maintaining a stiff outer appearance. Likewise, her socks and shirts are neatly tucked in. The other children are shown to find it remarkable that Clara can laugh for long periods of time and loudly. This makes her popular with them. She dies after spending too much time laughing at the end of the story. When adolescents are a part of group, they tend to mimic those around them; inevitably, if they find something which impresses those around them, they risk losing a part of themselves in it.