Norman Greenes

Norman Greenes is a minor antagonist of Anne Rivers Siddons' 1978 psychological horror novel The House Next Door. He is an abusive control freak, who will eventually murder his family under the house's evil influence.

Personality
Norman Greenes appeared as affable, but quite eccentric to his neighbors. Indeed, as guessed by Colquitt, he was a hot-headed, nasty, and brutal perfectionist who often lashed out at her daughter and wife whenever things were not going the way he intended them first. His cold behavior worsened into insanity once he took possession of the house (or rather the opposite), until he committed the irreparable.

Story
Nothing is knew about Norman Greenes backstory, aside that he became a busy businessman. At some point, he met his wife and had a daughter with her.

He purchased the domain for a quite low price when the previous couple of owners, the Sheehans, fell victims of the house's cruel tricks. Norman Greenes was very happy that he bought such a beautiful house, but didn't think much about the events that happened here.

The next day, he organized a reception; Colquitt and Walter, amongst the others neighbors, were guests. The party turned out to be a nightmarish fiasco: several devices didn't function as intended; the ambience was cold, with several guests leaving early; and Norman's daughter was suffering from severe dysentery, flooding the kitchen's floor with her feces in front of her parents and the others guests. This was too much for Norman who lashed out at her daughter out of desperate dissatisfaction and proceeded to cast out the remaining guests.

Following this evening, Norman's behavior became increasingly unstable, as well as more and more violent towards his family, as he couldn't make up with the failed party and all of the events that ensued (namely, his daughter had to go to the hospital for several days). Until the day came when he decided to murder his wife and daughter, who he deemed more than worthless and ungrateful of his services. He took a gun, ordered her wife and daughter to go on the bed, and killed them; after what, he ended his own life, possibly out of remorse.

The detonations alerted the neighbors, who never heard such things; the police quickly came. It was concluded that Norman was mentally unstable from the beginning. Though it was probably true, Colquitt was this time sure that the house was responsible for the Greenes' fate.

Trivia

 * The degree of possession the house exercised on the character is quite debatable, as Norman Greenes was already unstable and prone to furious outbursts before he owned the house. Although it is certain that the house is responsible for worsening his behavior into complete insanity.