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".
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".