History YMMV / TheRatsInTheWalls

** Lovecraft's/the narrator's cat's name would have been more acceptable in the early 20th century, but to modern audiences it is an atrociously racist slur.

** When he learns of certain vague "imputations of monstrous habits" made against his ancestors, the narrator finds their poor reputation "unpleasantly reminiscent" of a more recent scandal concerning one of his cousins, who "went among the Negroes and became a voodoo priest." Many modern readers are likely to consider this racist, both for implicitly calling the voodoo religion monstrous and for suggesting that living among "Negroes" and taking after their habits would be considered shameful for an upper-class white American.

** When he learns of certain vague "imputations of monstrous habits" made against his ancestors, the narrator finds their poor reputation "unpleasantly reminiscent" of a more recent scandal concerning one of his cousins, who "went among the Negroes and became a voodoo priest." Many modern readers are likely to consider this racist, both for implicitly calling the voodoo religion monstrous and for suggesting that living among "Negroes" and taking after their habits would be considered shameful for an upper-class white American.
** The protagonist's black cat is called Nigger-Man.

* CompleteMonster: It would be difficult to find a member of the old De la Poer line who ''wasn't'' this, but Margaret Trevor is probably the worst among those who married into the family. Sadistic and cruel, she was referred to as the favored bane of children. She was also the villain of a ballad in-universe, according to which, she was seen one night, naked, her arms streaked with the blood of her victims, leading a human sacrifice atop the cliff in front of the Priory.

** The protagonist's black cat is called Nigger-Man.

* They Changed It, Now It Sucks: This troper notices on any adaptations of the story that change the name of the Narrators cat to "Black Tom", "Mr.Blackman"or any such others rather than the racist epithet"Nigger-Man"from the original story, many people complain.

** The protagonist's black cat is called Nigger-Man.

** When he learns of certain vague "imputations of monstrous habits" made against his ancestors, the narrator finds their poor reputation "unpleasantly reminiscent" of a more recent scandal concerning one of his cousins, who "went among the Negroes and became a voodoo priest." Many modern readers are likely to consider this racist, both for implicitly calling the voodoo religion monstrous and for suggesting that living among "Negroes" and taking after their habits would be considered shameful for a upper-class white American.

* ValuesDissonance: One part of the Delapore family's scandals is that one of the narrator's cousins became a voodoo priest. This is treated as bad by the story. In the more religiously tolerant modern age, this would be treated more as the cousin being at worst a bit weird by many people.
** Much more significantly however, the narrator mentions that the same cousin “went among the Negros”, and describes this as “unpleasantly reminiscent" of their ancestors’ "monstrous habits". Treating having black friends as morally equivalent to raising humans for meat is an incredibly racist viewpoint.

** Much more significantly however, the narrator mentions that the same cousin “went among the Negros”, and describes this as “unpleasantly reminiscent" of their ancestors’ "monstrous habits". Equivocating having black friends to raising humans for meat is an incredibly racist viewpoint.

** Much more significantly however, the narrator mentions that the same cousin “went among the Negros”, and describes this as “unpleasantly reminiscent" of their ancestors’ "monstrous habits". Equivocating having black friends to raising humans for meat is a shockingly racist viewpoint.

** Much more significantly however, the narrator mentions that the same cousin “went among the Negros”, and describes this as “unpleasantly reminiscent" of their ancestors’ "monstrous habits". Apparently having black friends is morally equivalent to raising humans for meat in Lovecraft’s view.

* ValuesDissonance: One part of the Delapore family's scandals is that one of the narrator's cousins became a voodoo priest. This is treated as bad by the story, and some modern readers consider that racist. Also, the protagonist's black cat is called Nigger-Man.

* ValuesDissonance: Another example of Lovecraft’s infamous racism. The narrator’s cousin has a significant and scandalous moral failing, which the narrator feels ties in neatly with their ancestor’s “monstrous habits”. The failing is readily and willingly associating with black people. And that's not even mentioning what the cat is named...

* ScienceMarchesOn: An eminent scientist who examines the skeletons of the De la Poer’s human cattle cites the [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piltdown_Man Piltdown Man]], which was revealed as a hoax decades after the initial publication.

* ValuesDissonance: Another example of Lovecraft’s infamous racism. The narrator’s cousin has a significant and scandalous moral failing, which the narrator feels ties in neatly with their ancestor’s “monstrous habits”. The failing is readily and willingly associating with black people.

* ValuesDissonance: Another example of Lovecraft’s infamous racism. The narrator’s cousin has a significant and scandalous moral failing, which the narrator feels ties in neatly with their ancestor’s “monstouos habits”. The failing is readily and willingly associating with black people.

* ScienceMarchesOn: An eminent scientist whi examines the skeletons of the De la Poer’s human cattle cites the [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piltdown_Man Piltdown Man]], which was revealed as a hoax decades after the initial publication.