For a child born into such extraordinary privilege, Miles Fairchild's life has been anything but easy. He had every material thing he could ever want, every whim indulged, but when it came to actual affection, he was woefully deprived. After his little sister was born when he was five, he became little more than an afterthought to his parents. Yet despite how they always prioritized her over him, Miles never found himself resenting Flora. If anything, she was the most important person in the world to him, the person who loved him most in the world. 

He sadly found affection in the worst place possible: the horsemaster and groundskeeper, Peter Quint. From the time he was ten or so, Quint began grooming Miles, quickly earning the boy's trust by giving him all the attention and affection he never got from his parents; Miles soaked it all up like a bone dry sponge does water. By the time he was fifteen, the abuse became far more obvious and horrible--and Miles was far too entrenched in it to even fully comprehend how wrong it all was. He never told anyone, and those who saw, who knew what was happening, said nothing. It "wasn't their place". Peter Quint's death, an "unfortunate accident", didn't free Miles from his hold. If anything, it made it worse. 

Quint's ghost remained in the house, and tormented Miles in new, horrible ways, going so far as to frequently possess the boy and take control of his body. Even when he wasn't possessing him, his spirit was a constant presence that affected every aspect of Miles' life. He became cold and aggressive to everyone except for his little sister Flora.