5 Bizarre Ways Narcissists 'Mark' Their Territory in Your Home

Number two: they subtly rearrange your things. If you have ever noticed something in your home slightly out of place after a narcissist has been around, you are not imagining it. Narcissists love to exert control in ways that are so subtle—so small—that you doubt your own perception. They may move a picture frame just an inch to the left, adjust the way your books are stacked, or place something of theirs in a prominent spot where it doesn’t belong. If you question it, they’ll gaslight you: “Oh, I didn’t touch anything. What are you even talking about? You’re imagining things,” like in the movie Gaslight.

It is a way to claim dominance over your space without ever having to say it. They want you to feel like your home is theirs, that their influence is stronger than your own autonomy. Because the changes are so minor, you start questioning yourself. The goal? To keep you subtly off balance, to make you feel like nothing in your life truly belongs to you—not even your own home.

Guilt Tripping Over Changes

Number three: they make you feel guilty for changing things. Have you ever tried to redecorate, rearrange your furniture, or even throw something out? Only for the narcissist to suddenly care in a way that seems completely irrational? Maybe they never commented on your decor before, but now they are deeply offended that you changed something. “Oh, I love that couch,” they’ll say. “Why did you get rid of that painting? It was my favorite.”

They didn’t actually love those things; they loved what those things represented: their hold over your space. This explains why they hoard items. They buy things they know they don’t need and fill your space with items they won’t use, all to irritate you. It’s a narcissist’s twisted way of compensating for the emptiness they feel inside. By changing or giving away things, you are symbolically erasing their presence, and that terrifies them. It takes away their control and makes them shake internally.

So, what will they do? They will guilt trip you, acting like you are being cold, thoughtless, or inconsiderate—all to ensure that you hesitate before making your own decisions in your home and let them fill it with rubbish that suffocates you and keeps your house disordered.