Pietrisycamollaviadelrechiotemexity
We feel the walls closing in during the entirety of Hostile Hospital. The kids are, yet again, running from both Olaf and public scrutiny while having to deal at the same time with the first indication that someone has survived a VFD fire. Besides that, us as readers also have a bombastic reveal: Lemony was involved with stealing Esme's sugar bowl (notably, he regrets it). I like that the psychological horror tones ever-present until this point are maximized (to our demise too): despite sticking together, the Baudelaires are forced to do bad things, which turns their stomachs, but still face all of the consequences coming from their actions, which will forever haunt them; the siblings are chased and separated; Violet is almost beheaded; when they do escape the horrors, they still have to make scary decisions - in this case, go right into the lion's mouth. This fits in nicely with the growing up metaphor. Childhood is definitely ending bit by bit , they're no longer holding the illusion of protecting themselves from their prosecutors.