House of Stairs

Content Warning: The narrative includes depictions of bullying, physical violence, and psychological abuse. Some of the language used in the novel also reinforces body shaming and fatphobia.

Peter is the first character who appears in House of Stairs, and one of its five protagonists. He is depicted as a timid and sensitive 16-year-old boy. Lola describes him as having a “pale, fleshy face in [a] frame of whitish blond hair” (17) and often comments on his nervous stammer.

Like the others, Peter is an orphan. He has never known his parents and was initially living in a state home with his best friend and protector Jasper, before moving to different orphanages later. Peter remembers the room he shared with Jasper vividly and, in contrast with his current situation, idealizes his memories of his old life there. At the beginning, Peter is terrified when he finds himself alone in the house of stairs. Once he finds Lola and then the others, he remains shy and anxious. He then begins going into trance-like daydreams as an escape from his condition and relives memories of his life with Jasper. In fact, when Oliver first appears in the story, Peter believes that he is actually Jasper.