I remember an episode of Colditz (I was about ten) when someone pretended to be mad, got sent home and – back in Blighty – turned out to be mad!
A cautionary tale.
In the same spirit, I asked, what if M’s parties had been conceived out of a desire to convince PTB (next door) that the population of Mistley was insane, and so get him to move…
10 years later, PTB was gone…
But the parties continued…
Because THEY WERE MAD!
They no longer knew that it wasn’t necessary…
But M was too far gone…
(And, actually, PTB still owned the house, but no longer lived there…)
Stroke of luck 