The author's development of the setting helps a reader better understand the main character by describing the eerie home. This description helps the reader understand why the main character feels oppressed.
When she had finished her work, wiped down the table, dusted the mantelpiece and put the plates on the high dresser close to the wooden clock with its loud tick-tock, she drew a long breath, as she felt rather oppressed, without exactly knowing why. She looked at the black clay walls, the rafters that were blackened with smoke and from which hung spiders' webs, smoked herrings and strings of onions, and then she sat down, rather overcome by the stale odor from the earthen floor, on which so many things had been continually spilled and which the heat brought out. With this there was mingled the sour smell of the pans of milk which were set out to raise the cream in the adjoining dairy.
The description of the eerie home with its black clay walls, smoked herrings, and strings of onions helps the reader understand why the main character feels oppressed. The mention of the blackened rafters and spiders' webs further contribute to the unsettling atmosphere. This helps the reader better understand the main character's state of mind and the environment in which she lives.