Please see answer below.

The author uses specific word choices to emphasize the vastness of the house, and the lack of warmth, life, and activity within it. The unexplained invaders are presented in opposition to the qualities of the house, as the invaders make noise and move quickly. The words used focus the reader’s attention onto ideas about emptiness, and the fear that that open, unused space can evoke.

See sample answer below.

hollow, silent, corridor, half-lit