The correct answer would be option A: "The arrival of Mr. Brympton causes fear, revealing that men are powerful in the world." In Gothic literature, it is most common that the author place the atmosphere with mystery and fear which is clearly what he does by saying: "I had been near a week at Brympton before I saw my master" and "It was plain that nobody loved him below stairs". The master creates a feeling of fear in all the characters because of the power he has over their livelihoods and quite possibly their life, which is why everyone is anxious around him.
Option B is incorrect because cooking is not the central idea in the excerpt, neither is religion or the social correctness of having servants or not, therefore, option C and D are also incorrect.