Final answer:
In the story 'Three Skeleton Key', the characters respond to the rats with disgust, terror, and desperate creativity, exhibiting varying degrees of stress and determination to survive the rat onslaught.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question pertains to the characters' response to the rats in the story "Three Skeleton Key". Although the provided excerpts do not directly relate to "Three Skeleton Key", I can offer a general answer based on common knowledge of the story. In "Three Skeleton Key", the characters react to the rats with escalating terror and desperate ingenuity. Initially, they're disgusted and unnerved as the rats swarm their lighthouse. Over time, as their situation becomes critical, they're driven to extreme measures, constructing barriers and enduring the mental strain of being besieged by the vermin. Their camaraderie remains strong, but each man exhibits signs of strain and stress in differing ways due to the relentless assault of the rats.