Miss Keegan is one of Eilis’s fellow residents at Mrs. Kehoe’s house. A quiet woman, she lives in the basement and doesn’t say much at the house dinners. When she abruptly moves out, Mrs. Kehoe gives Eilis her room, telling her that it’s the best one in the house and that she shouldn’t worry about what the other boarders will think. However, Eilis worries that this development will upset her housemates, though she sees no way of turning down the room. Later, Miss McAdam tells her that Miss Keegan left because a man was following her home to the separate basement entrance. This man, according to Miss McAdam, exposed himself to Miss Keegan, so she moved to Long Island. Hearing this, Eilis wonders if Miss McAdam is telling her this story as a way of punishing her for taking the best room, and for several nights she worries about the matter until she finally decides to stop thinking about it altogether.