The largest example of a problematic binary in House of the Spirits is that between beauty and the grotesque. This is illustrated clearly in the instance of Rosa the Beautiful. She is portrayed as somebody of stunning beauty, a girl who is even shined upon by God because she is so pretty. But as the narrative of Rosa continues, it is found out that, in actuality, she has many strange physical features, such as green hair and yellow eyes. Her beauty in the first chapter is also contradicted by her surroundings. In the midst of a somewhat "ugly" community, one that features animals such as Barrabas, stands Rosa the Beautiful. The only catch is that she really isn't all that beautiful. 

Another problematic binary is that between children and adults in the book. There are quite a few cases in which we see children having to take care of their parents, such as in the case of Esteban and Ferula. The book seems to have issues between children and adults in that the children themselves reach adulthood and are ready to grow up and move on with their lives, but their parents and families end up holding them back.