Question

Why do they destroy Old Misery's house in "The Destructors" by Graham Greene?

Accepted Answer

They destroyed Old Misery’s house because it was there, and because mob mentality took over. 
The boys in this story destroy the house for fun.  It is a way to pass the time.  It sounds very odd, but it was one of those situations where one person suggested the idea, they all went along with it, and they could not seem to stop.  
Old Misery is a bit eccentric, hence the name.  His house was not in good shape to begin with.  After the bombings, he tried to rebuild his house as best he could.  However, he had a reputation as a cheapskate.

[It] was common knowledge that since the bombs fell something had gone wrong with the pipes of the house and Old Misery was too mean to spend money on the property. He could do the redecorating himself at cost price, but he had never learned plumbing.

One of the main reasons the gang became destructors is because of the new member, T.  The gang should have resented T, but instead they were enamored of him.  He told them that he had been inside Old Misery’s house, and it was beautiful.  It is T’s idea to destroy the house.

Blackie said, “Nobody’s going to pinch things. Breaking in—that’s good enough, isn’t it? We don’t want any court stuff.”
“I don’t want to pinch anything,” T. said. “I’ve got a better idea.”
“What is it?”
T. raised his eyes, as gray and disturbed as the drab August day. “We’ll pull it down,” he said. “We’ll destroy it.”

In order to maintain his status in the group, T has to suggest something serious and explain why he went in the house.  The boys are bored, and jaded.  They amuse themselves by destroying the house because they are there, and it is there.  Any boy who didn’t would be seen as a coward.  That is how the mob mentality works. 
T tells the boys he doesn’t hate Old Misery.  It would be no fun if he did. He seems to be a sociopath.  However, he has a charisma that leads the other boys to follow him.  Therefore, one boy turns a group of boys into destructors.

Answer

The destruction of Old Misery's house arises from the amorality of the years following the bombing and destruction of London.
Trevor, whose father was once an architect and who has "come down in the world," destroys the ancient house, not with any mob mentality, but with great creativity and organization. His destruction is brilliant, albeit misguided. That he is able to have the house still standing after major walls and struts have been removed is testimony to his genius. It is a ingenious act of revenge against the upper class--this is why the lorry driver enjoys so the toppling of the ancient house when he discovers that it has been connected to his vehicle. The upper class is represented by the old gentleman, whose name is Thomas, and who once had been a builder: "He lived alone in the crippled house, doing for himself...." And, yet, Trevor retains some of the ethics of his class as the boys do not steal anything.
Graham Greene himself once said, "Destruction, after all, is a form of creation." Trevor represents class struggle; he also exhibits the nihilism that resulted from the great wars, especially World War II.

The Destructors by Graham Greene

Why do they destroy Old Misery's house in "The Destructors" by Graham Greene?

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