"It don't seem right not out in the open"

"She could not see Violet because he was in the way. So she glared at the last button but one of his waistcoat, on a level with her daughter-in-law's head behind him."(22)   

I have become quite keen on the motif of the Hidden (a tentative, working name for it for now). From the start of the novel we encounter recurring description of the sight/awareness of another presence being hidden, blocked, or unknown. The narrative possesses an unnervingly hushed quality, with many instances of the characters waiting for others to be out of sight or out of earshot; but the Hidden is not always a result of pure, secretive intention. A few examples: various occurrences of characters walking silently atop the thick carpet, thus entering a room unbeknownst to other occupants; Raunce's covering of Kate's eyes; the few times in which, in Kate and Edith's room, one or the other is blocking the sunlight, causing the room to go dark. There is an overtly hidden nature of the lives of these characters, from affairs to flirtations to transgressions (it also may be seen as tied in some way to the strange incommunicable character of Paddy), and I think this motif dominates the novel and expect it will show its true quality in time--but, on that note, I keep leashed my anticipation and analysis until all has been read (indeed I always say this, for the simple fear of proving myself the presumptuous ass).