In the “Tell Tale Heart” and “The Fall of the House of Usher” both of the main characters have a mental illness. Roderick Usher admits that he not mentally well, but the character from “Tell Tale House” views his hypersensitivity as proof of his sanity, not a symptom of madness. The character tells the story precisely and in a complete manner, but he unwittingly lays out a tale of murder that betrays the madness he wants to deny. The narrator in “The Fall of the House of Usher” is trapped by the lure of Roderick’s attraction, and cannot escape the house.  The mental illness of Roderick allows the narrator to stay and take care of him. Is it Roderick’s mental illness that allows him to think that the house is alive and unhealthy?