People often say that the Englishman's home is his castle. They mean that the home is very important and personal. Most people in Britain live in houses rather than flats, and many people own their homes. This means that they can make them personal, and change them in any way they like. Most houses have a garden, even if it is a small one, and the garden is usually loved. The house and the garden are the private space of a person. In a crowded city a person knows that he or she has a private space which is only for himself or herself and for invited friends.
People usually like to mark their space. If you are on the beach you may have spread your towels around you; in the rain you may have put your coat or small bag on the seat beside you; in a library you may spread your books around you.
Once I was traveling on a train to London. I was on a section for four people and there was a table between us. The man opposite to me had his briefcase on the table. There was no space on my side of the table at all. I was unhappy. I thought he thought that he owned the whole table. I had been reading a book about nonverbal (非语言的) communication so I took various papers out of my bag and put them on his case! When I did this he suddenly became angry and his eyes nearly popped out (突出)of his head. I had taken up his space! A few minutes later I took my papers off in order to read them. He immediately moved his case to his side of the table.