Would a Lilliputian individual need their own personal house if they lived in a normal sized residence?

Question

At first I was going to ask if a miniature person could live out of a 3x3(bodylength) cabin but I thought about a more pressing question: Would a tiny person need their own house if they lived in a giant(normal to normal sized folks) house?

For reference the person/character in question is 6 inches tall(and not positively or negatively effected by Square-Cube Law) , male, and around 30. He is of average health. The 'giant' house is not abandoned and is of acceptable living condition(Not dilapidated,not extremly unkept, heating/cooing is present, etc) and has resources like food, water, and medicine in relative abundance. Whether or not the resident(s) of the house know he is there and if they do, how much they care I have not fully figure that out, so factor scenarios of the homeowner knowing and not knowing.

So would a little cabin or house(maybe dollhouse) be needed or could he eek out a decent living without one?

Answer 1

Assuming that both the miniature person and all other occupants are intelligent and careful, the answer is "not necessarily." But "a decent living" is a value judgement, and there are plenty of reasons to have distinct quarters.

• Safety.
  The miniature person would be at risk of being stepped upon, etc. All this can be avoided if people think and look before they act, but they would have to be attentive all the time. Much easier if the miniature person had a designated safe space.
  This could be a corner of a room, a cleared bookshelf, or whatever, but a clear border to this safe space would be helpful. So not just "you stay on the left of this line of chalk, I stay on the right."
• Sanitation.
  The miniature person would have trouble with normal toilets, sinks, showers, etc. Getting a working miniature bathroom and kitchen would be problematic, a normal dollhouse just won't do. Pet supplies would be humiliating. So a custom solution is required. Chamberpots, changed regularly?
• Comfort.
  Normal houses and their furniture are sized to adult humams. Even children have challenges, which require special chairs, etc. And a toddler is usually not required to switch the light on, adults do that.
  The miniature person would like a place where he or she can control the light, say with blinds over the window and appropriate light switches. Plus chairs and tables of the usual size, beds with suitable mattresses and blankets, and so on.
  Also a place to store miniature things, from little dinnerware to clothes.

Make a decision to fit your story (we can't help you with that part), but you can show the consequences. Say the miniature person is almost squashed. "Sorry, I thought you were still in your room, you left the light on" or just "sorry, I didn't see you ..."

Answer 2

I suggest you read Mary Norton's "The Borrowers" books. There is also a Studio Ghibli film based on the same book. In both of these, the various families of miniature people live within a full size house, using gaps under the floors or within walls for a personal space that is defensible, and to their scale. The Terry Pratchett "Nome Trilogy" has a similar set-up.

Gulliver in Brobdingnag had a doll's house to live in, though that was not quite the same thing, as he was kept as a pet/toy.

I don't know of a story with little people that does not have them living in nooks and crannies that suit their scale. It seems reasonable to many authors. All fiction, but that's the best you are going to get. I imagine we could live in a much larger house without rooms our size, so all depends on what you mean by 'need'.

Real example: The people who live in Zhongdong Village in China (Middle Cave Village) live in a large cave. They have built small houses within the cave. There are others.

Answer 3

Part of (yet a good addition to) the answer, that Liliputian has to stay away from CATS. He/she will need a well sheltered place if the home owners own a cat as well.