why did millie go to prison in the housemaid

Millie goes to prison in The Housemaid because, as a teenager at boarding school, she accidentally kills a boy who is attempting to rape her friend.

What Happened

• In her backstory, Millie intervenes when a male student tries to sexually assault her friend.

• During the struggle, she kills him, but it is portrayed as an accident that happens while she is trying to protect someone else.

• This incident leads to her being convicted and sent to prison, giving her a criminal record and a reputation for past violence.

Why It Matters In The Story

• Her prison time and “violent” past make her more vulnerable to manipulation when she takes the housemaid job, because she is afraid of going back to jail and is on parole.

• Nina and Andrew both use the knowledge of her record as leverage, knowing that a former inmate will be easier to control and less likely to go to the police.

So, the core answer: Millie isn’t a career criminal; she’s a woman who went to prison after accidentally killing an attempted rapist while defending her friend, and that history is what the plot keeps exploiting.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.