passage 3 :

- protection of H & D's ideals / see following link about Victorian family life

(http://www.nettlesworth.durham.sch.uk/time/victorian/vfam.html)

- protection of their family unit (themselves and their 3 children)
- protection of their family at large

The passage describes how every single year is organized around family events and gatherings which take place at regular intervals for Christmas, Easter and the summer.
On the surface, it seems that H & D have finally succeeded in creating their "kingdom" and rallying their once dubious relatives to their ideal of the "perfect family". People come to them to escape life's hardships and enjoy the simple pleasures of being together. "Happiness in the old style."

Your presentation should focus on the following points :
- the house as a fortress
(this implies the presence of a danger lurking outside / it also implies a certain isolation from the rest of society / evolution of British society from the optimistic 60s to the depressing 70s and the rise of violence and unemployment)
- the notion of perfect family and the values it is related to
(H & D are presented as a loving and hard-working couple whose stubbornness is rewarded through the births of 3 healthy children and the life they had always wanted / in comparison, Harriet's sister Sarah and her husband William seem to "attract all the ill luck in the clan" : they are not happily married, William has lost his job and their 4th child has Down's Syndrome.)
- Is the family as perfect as it appears ?
There are clouds in this wonderful family :
1. Sarah and William's unhappiness and ill luck is interpreted by Harriet in a very Victorian way : they attract ill luck because they deserve to (see the following links about Victorian values :
http://www.aboutbritain.com/articles/victorian-society.asp
and
http://amicicg.altervista.org/sharky/victorianage.html
and

http://www.channel4.com/history/microsites/H/history/guide19/part03.html#selfhelp)

2. David doesn't like the way Harriet talks about her niece "the mongol child". He criticizes her and then "she sulks and they have to make up." This shows that their couple is not as perfect as they thought it would be.
3. They may not want to see what happens outside their kingdom but society is changing and they won't be able to protect their family forever.
4. There are several references to financial difficulties as H & D seem to live above their standards, spending more money than they actually have.