In this segment directed by Emma de Swaef and Marc James Roels, a young girl named Mabel lives with her family in a small home. In the beginning, the children and family seem happy. Unfortunately, condescending relatives come to visit and consistently mock Mabel’s father for being poor like his father. 

Upset and desperate, Raymond’s encounter with a mysterious architect, Mr. Van Schoonbeek, leads the family to a new, luxurious house offered at no charge. This, of course, seemed very suspicious to me. In the end, the deal comes at a dark price. 

Raymond and Mabel’s mother, Penny, become more and more distant from their family as the time passes. Construction on the house never ends and the two girls seem lost in a maize. Penny begins endlessly sewing green curtains while Raymond tries to light a fire indefinitely in the fireplace. The only way he can get his fire to stay lit is by burning his old possessions. 

Over time, Mr. Van Schoonbeek gives Raymond and Penny a gift of new clothing. The green clothing has a similar appearance to curtains and cushions. This transformation makes Mabel furious with her parents. She thinks that the clothing makes her parents look ridiculous. Mabel desperately misses her old home and old way of life. 

As the parents become increasingly entranced by the house’s opulence, Raymond and Penny transform into furniture, consumed by their greed. Mabel and her sister Isobel barely escape the house as it burns, a stark reminder of the dangers chasing materialism.

Meaning: This chapter illustrates the peril of greed and the desire for wealth. Raymond and Penny’s transformation into furniture symbolizes how they became possessions of the house, losing their humanity to their obsession with luxury. The green furniture could be symbols of wealth, greed and money. The children’s escape signifies the hope of innocence and the potential to resist such destructive desires.