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Both stories have gloomy settings, relying on the emptiness and chill of a large, mostly-vacant house to set a dismal tone. While both stories mostly take place inside the house, we are given some detail about the outside world in both stories. “House Taken Over,” gives broad details, saying the year and the country the story takes place in. In contrast, “The Fall of the House of Usher” gives detailed descriptions at the beginning of the story about the creepy scenery around the house.

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In “The Fall of the House of Usher,” the gloomy setting outside causes the narrator to seek refuge in the house, where on a pleasant day, he might have avoided it. Meanwhile, in “House Taken Over,” the characters are only able to access supplies located in the areas of the house they still have control over. The geographic locations of critical parts of the house, like the kitchen, are critical, because their location determines whether or not they will be taken over, and therefore the siblings’ quality of life.