Thinking about how one of the most famous and recognisable elements of House of Leaves is the Minotaur, which only ever appears written in red and crossed out. The beast is notable only in that it is an abandoned theme that was supposed to have been removed from the text. The Minotaur of the labrinth is an absence, and nothing more. The possibility of a beast that lurks the halls of the House on Ash Tree Lane is raised purely so that it can be dashed against the rocks to draw attention to the true emptiness of that place.