hill (), lute's young brother, was sickly and infected with tuberculosis by his step-mother. as the only boy of the family, he would be the successor of his father. compared to his elder sister, the boy was cosseted, over-supervised and beaten so that he was weak and unsociable. most of time, he kept silent to everything around him and no one knew him, even his only elder sister who got along with him every day. hill died of the negligence of parents, just 17 years old. his death seemed like a secret to lute to which she never can find the key.