Worldbuilding
A housing shortage does more for worldbuilding than half a page of history. Who gets a room, who gets a tenancy, who has to share, and who can shut a door properly says a great deal about power without anyone giving a speech about class.
Privacy is political in small ways. A spare bed, a locked cupboard, a corridor no one else uses. In a crowded city, those little things become status symbols, favours, leverage.
It also changes behaviour. People keep secrets differently when the walls are thin. They bargain differently when eviction is always possible. That sort of pressure tells you more about a society than a grand declaration ever will.
Privacy is political in small ways. A spare bed, a locked cupboard, a corridor no one else uses. In a crowded city, those little things become status symbols, favours, leverage.
It also changes behaviour. People keep secrets differently when the walls are thin. They bargain differently when eviction is always possible. That sort of pressure tells you more about a society than a grand declaration ever will.
Shared space can do more than signal class. It can flatten people in odd ways. In a boarding house or barracks, rank still exists, but it gets tripped over by laundry, noise, and bad locks.
Also, some societies make privacy scarce on purpose, not because they are crowded. Convenience is often a tidy excuse for control.
Also, some societies make privacy scarce on purpose, not because they are crowded. Convenience is often a tidy excuse for control.