The wardrobe contains clothes for a body, job or social life that belonged to another decade. Fewer formal clothes, fewer preserved objects and one less guest room seem to tell a story about a life getting smaller. A guest room can stand for being the kind of person whose home is always open. A guest room can become a monument to hypothetical peopleThe spare room is more complicated because it represents relationship, not simply storage. The guest room may still be used regularly, or keeping it ready may give its owner pleasure.