The Liste des Indécentes Voisines can be viewed as a literary evolution of these rituals. In the 18th and 19th centuries, as urbanization increased anonymity, the desire to pierce the veil of privacy grew. Gossip columns and local scandal sheets often acted as a public Liste , naming women who stepped outside the bounds of domestic propriety. These lists served to remind women that the walls of their homes were porous; the neighbor’s gaze was a stand-in for the societal gaze.
To get your list started, here are three "Indecent Neighbors" archetypes:
Il y a d’abord , au cinquième étage. La veuve fantomatique qui, une fois la nuit tombée, troque ses robes grises contre des tenues que l’on ne soupçonnerait pas chez une sexagénaire. Ses fêtes, organisées dans le plus grand secret, font trembler les murs porteurs et parlent de désirs que l’on croyait disparus avec l’âge.