Nicholas in “The Lumber Room” is an imaginative child who suffers mentally because he has to live with a completely literal-minded aunt. Not only does she fail to appreciate his creative way of thinking, but she will not or cannot understand his explanations. When she falls into the empty tank, his decision to be equally literal and comply precisely with her instructions puts her life at risk. Realizing that his situation is hopeless, as he will never please his aunt, Nicholas retreats into the world of fantasy. The figures in the tapestry seem more real to him than his actual existence. The boy fantasizes that those figures can come alive. While he clearly identifies with the huntsman who escapes, we can infer that he sees himself as the deer set upon by wolves, or that the aunt is the deer who will be devoured.