ðˌoʊ blˈɑːk wʌz nˌɑːt ɐwˈɛɹ ʌvðə dʒˈeɪn kˈeɪs æt ðæt tˈaɪm, hiː bɪɡˈæn ɹˈaɪɾɪŋ wɪð "ðə nˈoʊʃən ðætðə mˈæn nˈɛkst dˈoːɹ mˈeɪ biː ɐ mˈɔnstɚɹ ʌnsəspˈɛktᵻd ˈiːvən ɪnðə ɡˈɑːsɪpɹˈɪdən mˈaɪkɹoʊkˌɑːzəm ʌv smˈɔːltˈaʊn lˈaɪf".
Though Bloch was not aware of the Gein case at that time, he began writing with "the notion that the man next door may be a monster unsuspected even in the gossip-ridden microcosm of small-town life".