A "house" is essentially a container -- for a person, a family, several families or even a large group with shared interests (think of the term "houses of worship.") In the Bible, a "house" is also a container, but for spiritual things rather than natural things. In various uses a "house" can represent part of the mind, the whole mind, a whole person or even a church. The other nuance to the word "house" is that it is generally used in regards to our affections and desires rather than our thoughts and principles. This makes sense; we tend to engage our thoughts and rationality when we are out in the world doing our work, but when we are inside our houses we are driven most by love for our families and the desire to be good to those we love. So "house" tends to represent the things we want and care about -- which are ultimately the things that define us.

5570. Many spirits exist, especially female ones, who have imagined that having an attractive appearance was all that mattered and who have thought about nothing deeper than this. They have given scarcely any thought to eternal life. This is excusable in females up to the time of young womanhood, when the burning desire which usually comes before marriage has died down. But if, when they become more mature adults and are able to understand something better, they continue in those ways, they acquire a character that remains with them after death. Such women are seen in the next life, possessing long hair which falls over their faces and which, in their imagination that such makes them elegant, they are also combing. (For 'combing one's hair' means making natural things look attractive, 5247.) From this other spirits recognize what those women are like; for spirits can know from their hair - from its colour, length, arrangement - what those women have been like so far as their natural life in the world is concerned.