When the police arrive to investigate Jim's death, they wrongly assume that he was murdered by the deranged Valkos, implying that the old man has a bizarre fixation with the house and considers it his own.
When the police arrive to investigate Jim's demise, they mistakenly think he was killed by the deranged Valkos, suggesting that the old man has an unusual preoccupation with the house and considers it his own domain.