In "The Terrible Old Man," the following passage demonstrates the narrator's voice and expresses a bigger idea:
"It is rumored that an ancient and terrible curse lies upon him who dares defile the tomb of the St. Clairs; a curse that has brought grisly death to the most audacious tomb-raiders. Certainly, it is well known that many who have impiously launched their spades into the hard soil above his grave have died strangely thereafter, or disappeared wholly, and that others have had to bear the maledictions of remarkable ill fortune."
The narrator's voice in this passage is one of ominous warning, as they describe the supposed curse that surrounds the tomb of the St. Clairs. The bigger idea suggested is that there are certain forces beyond human comprehension that can bring about terrible consequences for those who do not show respect and reverence for the dead. It touches on the idea of superstition and the power of belief, hinting at the possibility that supernatural forces may be at work in the world.