After the mirror was smashed and the phantom walked through it, everyone thought he was dead. When they finally thought it was safe enough, the torture began. People were leaving and never coming back because of, "Some blasted screeching and wailing!" the ownership was changed more than eight times, due to the "Dark shadow man" who terrorized the actors. the opera house struggled to stay alive, until it finally shut down when, according to a surviving actor, "the chandelier caught fire, but nothing else did, and the fire wasn't able to be put out." Many people believe it was the phantom, but, if it WASN'T him, then who was it?