A dwelling is quite clearly a physical entity; it is its structure that keeps us dry, warm and secure. It prevents intrusion by unwanted others and allows us to pursue our own interests in relative peace and quiet. But this physicality also allows us to develop attachments and to form relationships within the boundaries of the dwelling. The physical space we call a house is therefore full of meaning for us. While it can protect, it can also exclude, and one must take care not to exclude all and become isolated, to create anxiety rather than security.This books explores the relationship between the physicality of dwelling and the subjective meanings we attach to it, in particular, examining how we use the dwelling to ensure privacy. It is concerned with this dichotomy between exclusion and inclusion, between the private and the social. Using innovative theoretical concepts which combine philosophical analysis and literary and film criticism, it puts forward an innovative and insightful new approach to looking at housing. It draws on the work of thinkers such as George Hegel, Emmanuel Levinas and Soren Kierkegaard, the films of Ingmar Bergman, David Lynch and Bela Tarr and the fiction of Charles Dickens and John Irving to explore issues of exclusion, isolation, anxiety, privacy and the relations between parent and child.