Notice (lower left) what appears to be a tipped-over empty wine bottle on the floor near the trash basket.

The Sick Bay seems to me to be an improper room in which to find a wine bottle. And, it also seems to me that, whoever is responsible for the tipped-over bottle being located where it is, they missed the intended “target” of the trash basket and didn’t bother to correct that miss.

The trash basket is adjacent to Mr. Hoffman’s desk.

Does this scene indicate that Mr. Hoffman had a drinking problem? And, if so, does it connect this drinking problem with his sexual activities with Clara?

In the “Once Upon a Time” chapter, Jennifer tells us, of her early days at the orphanage: “Back then, Mr. Hoffman was a kind and admirable teacher.” Jennifer also tells us: “He had tried too hard to be someone he wasn’t. The expectations were too much for him… and he wanted to escape those restrictions.” Could these statements tie in with the idea that Mr. Hoffman developed a drinking problem that changed his behavior?
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Thanks, Jay, for the screen-cap!
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But who does the snowman represent?
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Is the scene a foreshadowing of the hanging threat directed at Jennifer, related to becoming the “gift of the month”? Or does it depict the hanging of Mr. Hoffman as Sir Peter? Or the hanging of another “disappeared” person?

The structure of the gallows as two vertical posts, connected by a crossbar at the top, resembles the gallows that we are shown during the animation of the hanging of Sir Peter, but could that gallows have been used (or threatened to be used) on more than one occasion?

Does the location of the gallows in the freezing room of the airship indicate that the actual place of this gallows in Jennifer’s forgotten past was outside of the orphanage during a time of snow? We know that Jennifer experienced snow during her time at the orphanage because she tells us, in the “Once Upon A Time” chapter, in the foyer, at the umbrella stand:

“We never used umbrellas. On snowy days, we’d go out for snowball fights. On rainy days, we’d go out and play in the rain, and get soaking wet. Every time, Xavier would trip and get himself all muddy and we’d laugh. It was so much fun.”

The freezing compartment has a foyer, and the comment above about snow is made in the foyer of the orphanage mansion… is this a coincidence or is it a clue?

It is perhaps worth noting that the steps under the gallows noose do not lead to a door. Using a map to be sure that I was at the right location, I checked the other side of that freezing compartment wall (there is a corridor on the other side) and there is definitely no door at that location.
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Thanks, Jay, for providing the high-resolution screen-captures (via emulator).

I think this is a genuine case of symbolism, and that the symbolism is not hard to interpret.

The theme of “The Mermaid Princess” chapter is, in my opinion, Hoffman’s sexuality directed at Clara and Diana. His sexual bad behavior is what caused the metaphorical overturning of the (real, not the model) orphanage. The orphans, who had competed for Hoffman’s good opinion previously, turned against him and rebelled, and then he “disappeared”. The orphan revolution ultimately led to Martha’s disappearance as well, and the orphanage coming under the rule of an orphan (the Princess of the Rose). This, I propose, is the symbolic meaning of the overturned orphanage in “The Mermaid Princess” chapter.

What do you think?
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Thanks, Jay, for providing the screencap that I edited for use.

Here is my hypothesis about Diana’s thigh-bandage.

I want to emphasize that there is little evidence available upon which to base a hypothesis, so this is basically some creative writing that endeavors just to provide an account that doesn’t clash with what little evidence is available, fits in with my view of the personalities involved, and satisfies my sense of the game’s avoidance of simple black-and-white depictions of human interactions. See my earlier blog-post relating to Diana’s thigh-bandage to read my objections to some of the other hypotheses that have been proposed, and to read some set-up for this blog-post).
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I propose that Diana deliberately injured her thigh (in a way that would have the appearance of having been accidental) because she wanted to have that injury bandaged by Mr. Hoffman.

Both Mr. Hoffman and Clara are associated with working in the Sick Bay. And we see Mr. Hoffman at his desk in the Sick Bay during “The Unlucky Clover Field” chapter (with Clara sitting on an examination table like a patient, see the picture above). The biggest objection to the idea that Hoffman did the bandaging of Diana’s thigh might come due to the statement of Jennifer in the “Once Upon A Time” chapter: “If Clara had disappeared, there would’ve been no one to tend our wounds…” But can we really believe that all of the equipment of the Sick Bay was there for Clara alone to give health-care to the orphans? Isn’t it likely that Clara received whatever instruction she had in health-care from Mr. Hoffman? Isn’t it likely that both Mr. Hoffman and Clara were capable of tending wounds? If so, perhaps the idea that “if Clara had disappeared, there would’ve been no one to tend our wounds” pertained only to the situation immediately before when Clara actually DID disappear, a time when Mr. Hoffman had already disappeared (he disappeared before Clara and Martha), and so a time when the entire burden of health-care rested on Clara’s shoulders because Hoffman was—at that time—gone. But before that, Hoffman was also one who might tend a wound.

I propose that the bandaging of Diana’s thigh occurred around the time of Jennifer’s arrival at the orphanage (during her forgotten past). The scene during which we see the bandage looks like it might be the first time that Jennifer was invited to the Aristocrat Club, because it seems to me that the curtsying of the aristocrats to Jennifer has the appearance of an introduction.

At this early time, I think that Mr. Hoffman either was not yet sexually involved with Clara, or that the other orphans did not yet know about it. Jennifer tells us, of those early times: “Back then, Mr. Hoffman was a kind and admirable teacher.”

So what might Diana’s motive be to deliberately injure herself to get Hoffman to apply a bandage to her thigh?

Jennifer tells us, in the “Once Upon A Time” chapter:

“Mr. Hoffman loved to broadcast over the PA system… He always announced our names in the order of his favorites. We’d try our best to win his approval and be the first one to be called.

The orphans competed for Mr. Hoffman’s approval. And Diana, presumably, was one of those that wanted to win this competition. Diana is the “strong-willed” princess, so she would be expected to take a strong-willed effort in that regard.

Diana is also the only one of the orphan girls (not counting Clara) who looks to be beginning to undergo the womanly development brought about by puberty. And Jennifer tells us, in the “Once Upon A Time” chapter:

She was the prettiest, the most mature of the Aristocrats. She wanted so much to be an adult… and yet she was also afraid of growing up too fast.

I propose that Diana wanted to test her prettiness, and her newly formed maturity, on Mr. Hoffman. Perhaps Mr. Hoffman still seemed to think of her as just another one of the children, and Diana wanted to impress upon Mr. Hoffman that she was more mature than the others. And maybe she wanted to test her powers, as a woman, on the only man in her life. And win the position of “favorite”.

So Diana contrived to need her thigh bandaged at a time when Clara was not available to do it. Or perhaps she just manipulated Mr. Hoffman into doing it.

Would Mr. Hoffman recognize that Diana’s thigh was that of a pretty woman, and not a mere child? Would Diana be able to gain power over Mr. Hoffman thereby? Diana wanted to know.

I’m not suggesting that Diana got molested at that time. Nor am I suggesting that Diana invited being molested at any time. And I am DEFINITELY NOT suggesting that Diana deserved to get molested because she did this. I just propose that she was curious about her power, and was wanting to test it. And also wanted to see if she could use her power to become raised up in Mr. Hoffman’s eyes (and we DO hear Diana head the list of favorites when Mr. Hoffman calls off the names of the orphans over the P.A. system during “The Funeral” chapter). But it could be that what Diana did had an unfortunate consequence, for her, down the line, with respect to Hoffman’s later sexual predation.

I think we also see Diana’s urge to test her power when we see her mean treatment of Meg: Diana demonstrating to herself that, however mean she got, she could keep Meg “bound by the shackles of foolish devotion” (as Jennifer tells us).

I propose that Diana regarded her ploy with Hoffman as having been successful: successful in demonstrating the power of her new maturity. And I propose that the other orphans had learned of what Diana had done, and also saw it as a demonstration of her power. And Diana knew this. So that is why she is pleased to lift her skirt extra high during her curtsy, and show off her bandage, and her thighs: proudly displaying, on this occasion, her power. As the “strong-willed princess”, Diana relishes displaying her strength, her power.

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What do you think of this hypothesis?

A theory has been previously proposed that the story of Sir Peter blurs together the story of Peter the rabbit (Wendy’s pet) with the story of Mr. Hoffman and his “disappearance”.

See my previous blog-posts:

“Sir Peter” Storybook: The Story of Hoffman? (Part 1)
Clara and Hoffman: Mermaid and Hare?
“Sir Peter” Storybook: The Story of Hoffman? (Part 2)

and also:

Did Hoffman “Disappear” Without His Possessions Disappearing With Him? (Part 1)
Did Hoffman “Disappear” Without His Possessions Disappearing With Him? (Part 2)
Did Hoffman “Disappear” Without His Possessions Disappearing With Him? (Part 3)
See-all Walkthrough, With Commentary: “The Little Princess” Chapter (Part 14): Reception Room: Stray Dog Gobbles Hoffman In Hoffman’s Portrait
Did the Orphans Think That the Men’s Lavatory Was Haunted By Mr. Hoffman’s Ghost?
Was Mr. Hoffman Hanged? (Part 1)
Was Mr. Hoffman Hanged? (Part 2)
My Video: The Mystery of the Graffiti-covered Portrait of Mr. Hoffman in Rule of Rose
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Thanks, Jay, for the high resolution screencap (taken via emulator) shown at the very top.
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In the game-time story, Hoffman paws Diana while Jennifer openly stands nearby in the same room watching. Is it believable that Hoffman would act in such a way right in front of Jennifer? I have proposed that Jennifer did indeed have repressed memories of having witnessed the scene, but she wasn’t where Mr. Hoffman would have seen her as she watched. See my blog-post: As Hoffman Pawed Diana, Where Was Jennifer Really? Did Jennifer actually see worse happen at that time in her forgotten past, but cleaned up and falsified her memory of it somewhat (which is the version we see in the game-time story)? It seems very possible that Jennifer did, considering that she apparently walked in on Mr. Hoffman and Clara having a sexual encounter in the Sickroom, but seems to have cleaned up and falsified that memory (and thereby the game-time story as well). See My Video: A Sex Scene in “The Funeral” Chapter of Rule of Rose?.
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In the game-time story, the goats Mary and Sally, and Eleanor’s pet bird, are seen as living (and sometimes dying, and then back alive again) creatures during the time that Jennifer is in the airship. But during Jennifer’s forgotten past, in the orphanage, they were only dolls, not creatures that were ever alive. In the “Once Upon A Time” chapter, Jennifer tells us:

“It’s a stuffed goat… The white goat Mary. The black goat Sally.

and

“The red bird in the cage… The doll Eleanor treasured.”

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I think that almost everything that we see in the “Stray Dog and the Lying Princess” chapter relating to the orphanage massacre is a huge distortion of Jennifer’s actual experience of the orphanage massacre. See my blog-posts:

The Stray Dog Boss-battle Mystery (Part 1)
The Stray Dog Boss-battle Mystery (Part 2)
Bad Ending vs. Good Ending
The Stray Dog Boss-battle Mystery (Part 3)
The Stray Dog Boss-battle Mystery (Part 4)
The “Stray Dog and the Lying Princess” Storybook Mystery (Part 1)
The Stray Dog Boss-battle Mystery (Part 5)
Did Jennifer Hide in the Grandfather Clock During the Massacre?

My use of this term however does not mean that I am rejecting the idea that the game-time story is a dream that is being dreamed by Jennifer. It seems to me that the Freudian idea, that dreams are built up from repressed memories and desires surfacing in a disguised form, makes for a very good model by which to ascribe meaning to the observation that the game-time story is a distorted reflection of Jennifer’s repressed memories.

Let’s look at some specific examples of how the game-time story may relate, in a distorted manner, to Jennifer’s forgotten past:
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(1) In the opening scene of the “The Little Princess” chapter, when Jennifer is riding on the bus toward the orphanage, she has a suitcase beside her. This scene may be, in part, a distorted recreation of the circumstances of Jennifer’s arrival at the orphanage when she was a young child. In the “Once Upon A Time” chapter, when Jennifer stands beside what appears to be the same suitcase, she tells us:

“When I came here, this suitcase was the only luggage I had… I lost everything in the accident. My mother, my father, all my possessions, and even my memories.”

For more on this topic see my blog-post “The Little Princess” Chapter Opening Scene, Part 2 and the comments there.
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(2) The boss-battle that Jennifer has with Mr. Hoffman may, at least in some aspects, be a distortion of a confrontation that Jennifer had with Mr. Hoffman that he wrote about in his diary:

Today, I gave that child a good scolding.
When I found out she let the rabbit escape, that was the last straw.
As I took out my pointer to punish her, she started quibbling again…
…However, she’s still young.
She gave in and apologized, so I let it go at that.
I’m such a kind, understanding teacher.”

For more on this topic, see my blog-post The Hoffman Boss-battle Mystery (Part 1) and the comments there.
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(3) After the boss-battle of “The Goat Sisters” chapter, we see Mary, as a real goat, stuffed with papers, fall out of a clock. For more on this topic, see my blog-posts: What is Mary Stuffed With? Part 2 and Why is the Goat in the Grandfather Clock?. This scene seems to be a distortion of an incident from Jennifer’s past, involving goat dolls, that Jennifer describes in the “Once Upon A Time” chapter as follows:

“It’s a stuffed goat… The white goat Mary. The black goat Sally. When Meg found her letter to Diana torn apart, she was deeply wounded and cried in Diana’s arms, even though she was the one that ripped it up… And, when Meg’s notebook was found all scattered about, Diana made fun of her, saying, ‘Mary and Sally must’ve ate it.’

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This is basically a video remake of my blog-post: What is Hoffman Saying as He Paws Diana?.

There’s voting! Please go and place your vote!

Please rate it.

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A blog-post relevant to this video is The Frightened Princess Mystery.

See also the related video, comments, and related links to blog-posts at My Video: Was Clara in Mr. Hoffman’s Bed in the “Mermaid Princess” Chapter of Rule of Rose?

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There are a few editing flaws and rough edges in this video that I felt were too much trouble to fix. Sorry ’bout that.

Comment-maker on this site, Mokgrok, explores this question in her video.

I think it is a very well-made video, and Mokgrok’s observation that Diana’s touching of Amanda resembles Hoffman’s touching of Diana is a new and original observation.

See the video on YouTube here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfeOy8veZm4

(LATER NOTE: Mokgrok shut down her YouTube channel for some undisclosed reason)

Hopefully we’ll see more good videos from Mokgrok analyzing Rule of Rose.
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A blog-post of mine that relates to this video is:
Did Diana Molest Jennifer?
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