Significance of Jules Amthor's Octagonal Room

Also located in a pricey area, Amthor's home doubles as a business location. As such, there is one specific room in the house that Amthor uses to meet those clients in need of a psychic. The room is octagonal in shape and draped floor to ceiling in black velvet. Because everything is black, it is impossible to distinguish exactly where the doors are. A "milk white globe on a black stand" is at the center of a white octagonal table (124).

The shape of the room denotes the inability to hide from Amthor during one of the psychic sessions. Also, the blackness could be disconcerting enough to produce a claustrophobic reaction in some individuals. This is also the mysterious room where Marlowe is knocked unconscious when the lights go out.