Edgar Allan Poe showed that isolation from the outside world would result in insanity, madness and or confusion. This was reflected in his two short stories, "The Fall of the House of Usher" and "The Masque of the Red Death", and his famous poem, "The Raven." Poe showed the darkness, deepness and insanity of many of his characters, which was all an effect of their seclusion. Roderick Usher, Prince Prospero and the narrator of "The Raven" all danced along the lines of insanity and complete ruin. In the end, two of those characters did indeed die, and the last was left in confusion and misery.

In "The Fall of the House of Usher," Roderick Usher, lost his grip on reality after becoming almost entirely isolated from the outside world. Roderick, along with his twin sister, remained the sole members of the ancient Usher race, and they both were...