They seem way too small for Hilditch to be cross dressing, and Felicia had just arrived on his doorstep, so whose are they? Are they his mother's he keeps as souvenirs, since the kitchen was so important to her? Are they trophies taken from the lost girls? Either way, Felicia averts her eyes when she sees them and Hilditch quickly raises them out of view, like they were something he wished Felicia has not seen.
sharehe bought them where he bought the dresses i think, at a jumble sale.
i thought he had them hanging their so that if felicia came to his house it would look like a woman lived there, because he says to her he has a wife. i reackon she averts her eyes like anyone would when faced with underwear that is not there own, and he raises them out of view to pretend to be embarrasses that he left them out
After consideration, I thought they were taken from each of his "girls". In any case, that was one of the most bizarrely brilliant moments in the whole film. The uncomfortable pause, then Hoskins just pulls the cord and lifts them up as if everything were perfectly normal.
The war is not meant to be won... it is meant to be continuous.
He buys the second hand items so Felicia will think he has a wife. Remember he bought toiletries and partially emptied them.
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Interesting idea they may be 'trophies' from other victims, but, no, I strongly think they were all part of the deception that there was (had been) his wife living in the house. He had invented the wife right from the start - to put Felicia at ease and more likely to trust him.
few visible scars
If people were clearly watching the movie, there is no reason to guess at why the lingerie is in the kitchen. They show him out buying women's shoes, clothing and toiletries. It is very clear that it is all a ruse and part of his lie to make Felicia think he has/had a wife. After she visits him at his home, he talks about his wife in past tense. He even orders funeral flowers and have them delivered to his home. Felicia helps him bring them in the house. No guess work needed folks, just pay attention to the movie.
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