“With his back turned on this fading unhappiness Chris walked across the lawn. He was looking up under his brows at the over-arching house as though it were a hated place to which, against all his hopes, business had forced him to return.”

After being “cured” of his amnesia, Chris seems to be acting like his “old” self. He leaves the house and goes outside, and it is remarked later on in the passage that he is walking like a soldier again. This moment is incredible because it appears that Chris has just been cured and is acting normally again, yet West chooses to focus on the house in this scene. Baldry Court is described as the “over-arching house.” This creates the feeling that Baldry Court and what it stands for – wealth, status, prestige – is all-encompassing. The societal expectations of the wealthy upper-class surround them in all areas of life. These strict expectations and roles in society are why Chris is unhappy. West also makes a point to say that Chris looks at the house as if it were a “hated place,” which in itself is a very strong indicator that he hates Baldry Court. He thinks of this house as not a home, but as a place of business. This business could be interpreted as, obviously, the family business. It could also mean the business of being a man in British society, which carries rigid expectations. This quote as a whole shows how Chris despises Baldry Court because of what it represents.