Perhaps one of the first things that really jumped out at me is Majorie’s quote, “rub-a-dub-dub, thanks for the grub” (34), an essentially mock grace that to the best of my knowledge is a derivation of a nursery rhyme that does not include the ‘thanks for the grub’ which was introduced by the Simpsons in its first season. This phrase fits with a recurring elements of debasement and violation that appear when Marjorie and Merry add their own stories on top of previously written books, when Marjorie brings an independently produced tragically motivated story to that new world, or confesses that she enters Merry’s room while she sleeps and pinches her nose, the idea that their father is poisoning their mother and Marjorie. These elements are notable not in the sense that it’s another way of saying bad stuff is happening, but rather that concepts that are typically important to or accepted by a child Merry’s age such as undisputed faith in their father’s love or that sleep is not a state of vulnerability are stressed.
Merry may not be seriously shaken by much of this due to her understanding that her sister is unwell, but once she witnesses Marjorie’s late-night episode she begins projecting some of the images of Marjorie inside the cardboard house (54) which includes her doing inhuman things like spidering around walls. Empathizing with Marjorie becomes even more difficult due the constant distancing occurring with the increase in exogenous factors impacting her relationship with Marjorie, such as the sight of her against the wall, her mother’s notebook, Marjorie interacting with Merry and her things while asleep, and the growing things. Ultimately to me the nature of their relationship responding to their interactions while the love for each other stays the same is something I would like to keep an eye on.