“The mark of Cain”
Riis writes, "The first tenement New York knew bore the mark of Cain from its birth, though a generation passed before the waiting was deciphered. It was the "rear house," infamous ever after our city's history. There had been tenant-houses before, but they were not built for the purpose. Nothing would probably have shocked their original owners more than the idea of their harboring a promiscuous crowd." The allegorical 'mark of Cain' alludes to the inherent evils of the tenements which are comparable to Biblical Cain's. This promiscuity, which blooms in the tenement, underscores the immortality of the tenement system.
Door
Riis elucidates, “A locked door is a strong point in favor of the flat. It argues that the first step has been taken to secure privacy, the absence of which is the chief curse of the tenement. Behind a locked door the hoodlum is not at home, unless there be a jailor in place of a janitor to guard it. Not that the janitor and the door-bell are infallible. There may be a tenement behind a closed door; but never a flat without it.” Here a door is emblematic of security and privacy. The absence of a door implies that one’s privacy may be threatened. The hoodlums prefer unlocked doors for they make it easy for them to engage in their criminal activities. Accordingly, the strength of the door’s metal determines the occupants security and privacy.
