The characters in Le fanu's Carmilla trust the vampire because she is very beautiful. Some of the character's describe Carmilla as the most beautiful creature they had ever seen. Her voice is also described as very sweet. When Laura and her father meet Carmilla and her mother along the road, Laura begs her father to persuade Carmilla's mother to allow her to stay with Laura and her father for the three months her mother will be away. This is very curious, because Laura and her family had only just met Carmilla and her mother. They had no idea the type of people they were, their surnames, or even here they were from. Not only did they not know these things, but Carmilla's mother puts a strict boundary on what may be discussed about themselves. The allure of these seemingly highly ranked, mysteriously beautiful people must've been as simply overwhelming to Laura and her father as it was to General Spielsdorf.
In the General's account of meeting Carmilla and her mother, he was at a ball, and Carmilla's mother approaches him, greets him by name and strikes up a conversation as if they know each other. She addresses Carmilla as Millarca, and invents a story that she must leave her daughter for three weeks and asks the general to take charge of her for that time. His inward reaction is basically that it was such a strange request and should be declined. However, his ward asks him to allow Millarca to come for a visit. As he is about to tell her that's not such a good idea, the two women approach him, and the beauty of Millarca was so refined, engaging and elegant, that he was overwhelmed. He accepts the charge of caring for Millarca, and was determined to make amends for not having wanted to care for her.
These stories, of how Laura's father and General Spielsdorf so gladly opened their homes to the daughter of a stranger, leads one to believe that humans are shallow, vain creatures. Humans are very susceptible to beauty, good-natured/amiable qualities, rank and mystery. So much so that Laura's father and General Spielsdorf were overwhelmed because of Carmilla's beauty and that was enough to override their apprehensions, allowing such a monster into their home and ultimately to prey upon their children.
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