Answer:
Young people were expected to treat adult guests with respect, and people were very superstitious at the time.
Step-by-step explanation:
In short, The Open Window is a story about a man, Nuttel, who is a hypochondriac, visiting the country, in looking for someone to host him in their home, as he needed a more quieter place to be more relaxed and deal with his nerve issues. The story begins with when he arrives at the home of his new hosts, the Sappetons, and is received by Mrs. Sappleton's niece, Vera, a fifteen-year-old girl.
While Nuttle waits for Mrs. Sappleton to come out, Vera explains Nuttle why the window is open, she says that it remains open because Mrs. Sappleton believes that one day his husband, children and the dog's family (who had died in a tragic hunting accident years ago) would come back and re-enter the house. This is just a lie, of course, but the girl was so convincing that Nuttle believes it.
Once Mrs. Sappleton meets him, the hunting party appears walking toward the house. Mrs. Sappleton looks at them with excitement but the mischievous girl looks at them horrified as if she was looking at actual ghosts. Nuttle, horrified and scared, flees the house immediately.
Nuttle's reaction indicates that people at the time believed in ghosts and antinatural forces, and expected young people treated adult guess with respect, otherwise, Nuttle would not have probably believed the whole story that easily.