The Manse

The Manse is a large, old-fashioned house in the Oldtown district of the city, the home of a wealthy elderly woman who lives alone with her many cats. It is the site of the climactic crime of Alex's career as a free young hoodlum, an event that leads directly to his arrest, his imprisonment, and ultimately his subjection to the Ludovico Technique. The house is described as having iron bars on its ground-floor windows, giving it the appearance of a prison, and is guarded by two globe lights on iron stalks outside the front door. Its name, "The Manse," is considered by Alex's droog Georgie to be a "gloopy name."

Location and Description

The Manse is situated in Oldtown, a district of old, historic houses inhabited by elderly residents, including retired colonels and widows with cats. The house itself is a large, old structure with a dim light visible in one of its ground-floor rooms. Inside, it is cluttered with old pictures on the walls, elaborate antique clocks, vases, and ornaments that Georgie identifies as valuable and desirable to a fence named Will the English. The interior has a musty smell of cats, fish, and old dust, a stark contrast to the modern flatblocks where Alex lives. The stairwell is decorated with old-fashioned pictures of women, country scenes, and a crucifixion.

The Burglary and Murder

Alex and his droogs case the house by watching through the window, seeing the old woman pour milk into saucers for her cats. Alex, asserting his leadership, devises a plan to gain entry by pretending his friend is ill, but the old woman refuses to open the door, threatening to shoot. Alex then climbs onto Dim's shoulders, breaks a sash-window above the front door with his cut-throat britva, and enters the house alone. Inside, he steals a small silver statue of a young girl. In the lit room, he confronts the old woman, who attacks him with a walking stick. During the struggle, Alex slips on a milk saucer, and the old woman falls. In a rage, Alex strikes her on the head with the silver statue, killing her. The noise of the struggle and the old woman's earlier phone call to the police bring a police van, sirens wailing.

Betrayal and Arrest

As Alex rushes to open the heavily bolted front door, he finds Dim waiting outside. Dim, seeking revenge for Alex's earlier assault on him, strikes Alex across the eyes with his chain, blinding him temporarily. Dim then flees with Pete and Georgie, who have already run off. Alex, howling in pain and blinded, is immediately seized by the arriving police. He is arrested, beaten, and taken to the police station, where he confesses to all his crimes, including the murder of the cat-lady. The Manse thus becomes the scene of Alex's downfall, the place where his violent freedom ends and his long journey through the state's punitive and rehabilitative systems begins.