Physical and mental degradation often come together; this theme of 'tainted blood' may represent concerns relating to Lovecraft's own family history, particularly the death of his father due to what Lovecraft must have suspected to be a syphilitic disorder.
Fizička i mentalna degradacija često prate jedna drugu; ova ideja "prljave krvi" možda predstavlja Lovecraftovu zabrinutost glede njegove vlastite krvne linije, posebno glede smrti njegova oca; Lovecraft je sumnjao da se radilo o sifilitičkom poremećaju.