In 1901, French police discovered a woman named Blanche Monnier locked inside a dark room in her family’s home in Poitiers. Blanche had been confined there by her mother and brother after she attempted to marry a man they disapproved of. She was kept in total isolation for 25 years, surviving in filth, darkness, and near starvation. When authorities found her, she was severely malnourished, unable to tolerate light, and weighed less than 55 pounds. Her mother was arrested but died shortly after.