The Paying Guests

Frances often accuses Mrs. Wray of being a “Victorian.” How do intergenerational conflicts drive the interactions between Frances and others in her society? How does this affect her relationship with her mother?

When Lilian swings the stand-ashtray at Leonard, she claims it was an accident. However, as the novel unfolds, her motives become more suspect. Is she lying? Does the evidence against her outweigh the evidence in her favor?

Frances left Christina to help her mother at home. While Frances is relegated to a domestic life, Christina lives the life she and Frances had dreamed about. What role does Christina play in the novel? How does she prove to be a foil to Frances’s indecision and cowardice?

Champion Hill is an upper-class London neighborhood that provides the setting for most of the novel. How do the residents of the neighborhood react to the new clerk class? How do these class relations affect the plot of the novel?

Investigate the views that the novel’s characters have on lesbian relationships. How does this affect the decisions Frances has made in the past? How does this influence the way she lives her life?

How might the novel have been different if it represented heteronormative adultery? Why did the author choose to portray the relationships the way she did?

After Leonard’s death, Frances has a nightmare of being responsible for holding up the crumbling walls of a dilapidated house. This dream is highly symbolic. What aspects of her life does this represent? How does it parallel the events that take place during and after the police inquisition?

Examine the remnants of France’s relationships with Mr. Wray, John Arthur, and Noel. How do they inform the relationships with and suspicions of the men she encounters in the book?