Final answer:
The provided excerpts do not directly refer to Madame Lockton or Ruth being possessed. Instead, they revolve around characters being affected by past events and changes in behavior that may cause others to believe in possession or supernatural occurrences.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student's question seems to reflect a misunderstanding within a fictitious narrative, specifically a situation where a character, Madame Lockton, believes another character, Ruth, is possessed. In the context of the passages provided, there is no direct reference to Madame Lockton or Ruth, suggesting that the question may be referencing an external piece of literature not included in the excerpts. In literary analysis, characters such as Madame Lockton and Ruth could be interpreted in many ways, and attributing 'possession' could reflect the character's perception of another's odd or unexplainable behavior, illness, or a significant change in demeanor. These behaviors might be misinterpreted as possession in historical or superstitious contexts within a narrative.
However, based on the given excerpts, themes such as past events influencing present behavior, psychological disturbances, and the impression of supernatural occurrences can be observed. The characters in these excerpts are often haunted by the memory of events, or by changes in the behavior of people they know, which they struggle to understand.