Charlotte arrives at the Mad House carrying a small white suitcase with blue butterflies, while her grandmother remains at the end of the path and silently leaves Charlotte with Patch. In that brief exchange, Patch fully feels the weight of becoming responsible for his daughter.

Inside, Charlotte studies the house without settling into it. She keeps her pink coat buttoned, clutches her suitcase, and examines the floors, furniture, drapes, and walls covered with art. When Patch offers to show her bedroom, Charlotte follows him upstairs but rejects the idea of belonging there, telling him, "Nothing here is mine."

Patch has prepared the room with intense care, shaping it from what Misty told him about Charlotte. He has insulated and ventilated it for comfort, repainted it repeatedly, added a reading sconce for her books, a large closet for her clothes, and soft toys because she likes animals. His effort shows his desire to make Charlotte feel safe, but Charlotte remains emotionally closed off.

Back outside, Charlotte notices the swing hanging from the oak tree and asks if it was her mother’s. When Patch says yes, Charlotte sits on it in the cool sunlight, choosing that connection to Misty over the room he built for her. Patch does not know how to be around Charlotte, and the depth of her distance is clear when it takes her nearly three hours to remove her coat and another hour to take off her shoes.