A world that is too large is easier to bear if some small part of it is yours. For a child, the space behind the sofa or under the stairs is not really about hiding from anyone; it is a place where the scale is right and nothing is decided by adults. Having somewhere that answers to you is a genuine need rather than a game, and it does not disappear when people grow up.

Keep a corner that belongs to you, however small: a chair, a shelf, twenty minutes in a particular room. And if a child in your house has claimed one, leave it alone, even when tidying.