What the Homes In Stranger Things 2 Tell Us About Their Inhabitants

If you’ve already binge-watched Stranger Things 2, then you know the new season gives its audience a wider view of the inner lives of some of the characters, which didn’t see so much of back in season one. If you remember, the first season centered mostly around the homes of Will Byers and Mike Wheeler, despite the fact that Will is largely absent throughout the entire original run. In season two, we’re able to gain some insight into what each character’s house says about them. (Naturally, spoilers for season two are discussed here.)

In season two, we learn that not only did Eleven survive, she’s spent the last year seeking refuge in an abandoned cabin Hopper’s family owns. From the looks of it, the property suits them both: Rustic, no frills, and home to a freezer full of frozen waffles. There are more locks on the door than there are pieces of framed artwork hanging, so they’re definitely going for functionality over aesthetic. For these two characters, that sounds about right.

The last we saw the spooky house in which Will, Jonathan, and Joyce live, it was a real mess: Holes axed through the walls, tiny Christmas lights strung across every surface, and a giant, black painted alphabet sprawled across a wall of the living room. At the start of season two, things look put back in place, but like the frayed nerves that reside there, the house devolves back into chaos as the season goes on. Will papers the walls with hundreds of 8.5 x 11-inch drawings of the scary visions he’s seeing in his “now memories.” The Byers are by far the most upturned, frantic family in this saga, and their abode reflects that freakout mode.

Mike lives with his super pretty mom, a boring dad, and big sister Nancy, like a good-old fashioned American nuclear family. As dad Ted says to law enforcement, “We’re all patriots in this house.” It sure looks like it: Their place on a cul de sac has a seasonally-appropriate decoration hanging on it, but not like a ~scary~ one. It’s more like a purple and orange wreath. Despite its hideous wood panel walls (hey, it was the ’80s, okay?), it’s probably the most put-together place. Still, Mike manages to show some personality by keeping up the little blanket fort he built for Eleven in the basement, which you know must drive his perfect mom up the wall.

The Sinclair family lives in a beautiful, blue painted house with light brick. Lucas and his A+ comic relief little sister Erica have their own awesome rooms full of their very different toys, but that’s never stopped a younger sibling from snooping around. A lot of Lucas’s home life involves Erica, which is lucky for us, since she is clearly the fan favorite new character of Stranger Things 2. Get that girl a wrist rocket of her own.

Dustin’s hilariously endearing mom has clearly had the biggest hand in decorating their house, full of lace curtains and spaces for her beloved cat to chill. There’s a diamond-window front door, brick detail, and a huge, floor-to-ceiling window in the front looking into the living room. Dustin is the heart of his friend group, and his house reflects this trait by seeming pretty warm and inviting – so much so that it’s the perfect place for a terrifying “lizard” to hide undetected.

Which home is your favorite? Tell us in the comments…