The room looked as if it had not been lived in for years. A faded Flemish tapestry, a curtained picture, an old Italian cassone, and an almost empty bookcase – that was all that it seemed to contain, besides a chair and a table…the whole place was covered with dust, and that the carpet was in holes. A mouse ran scuffling behind the wainscoting. There was a damp odour of mildew. As Dorian Gray was lighting a half-burned candle that was standing on the mantelshelf, he saw that the whole place was covered with dust and that the carpet was in holes.
– Oscar Wilde
The Picture of Dorian Gray, Chapter 13. Basil enters the secret delapidated attic room where Dorian has the portrait locked away. There is a strong sense of the Gothic in the description of the room, which hasn’t been used for years and is in a state of decay. It symbolizes the dark part of Dorian’s soul.