dangerous ground

[Quang Hai]

Hello teachers and forum members
I am reading Marrying Damian (W. Trevor). Damian is a doctor's friend, 60 years old and a useless man. He came doctor's house and it turned out that doctor's daughter (a social worker) is falling in love with him. Below are what doctor and his wife thoughts:

'We didn’t round on each other, blaming in order to shed guilt, bickering as we might have once, when upsets engendered edginess.
We didn’t because ours are the dog days of marriage and there aren’t enough left to waste: dangerous ground has long ago been charted and is avoided now. There was no point in saying, either, that the damage we already sensed would become entertainment for other people, as damage had for us.'

What is dangerous ground meaning here? I guess, in any marriage, there are some area one should not touch or hurt the other or should not pass a limit of it. And if it is true then 'charted' means 'marked'. Please if someone tell me it is it in this case.
Additionally, I also do not understand the last words: 'as damage had for us' The word 'as' here mean 'when' and as damage had for us means other people would have entertainment when we got the damage?

many thanks!

 

[Mr_Ben]

What is dangerous ground meaning here? I guess, in any marriage, there are some area one should not touch or hurt the other or should not pass a limit of it. And if it is true then 'charted' means 'marked'. Please if someone tell me it is it in this case.

"Charted" means "mapped." In the age of exploration, sailors sometimes had to travel through "uncharted waters," meaning that there was no map of where they were going. You are basically right about "dangerous ground," in this case it probably consists of subjects which should not be discussed because either the husband or wife is sensitive about it. But they have mapped this area and so they know how to avoid it.

I also do not understand the last words: 'as damage had for us' The word 'as' here mean 'when' and as damage had for us means other people would have entertainment when we got the damage?

"As" here means "like," other people's damage had been entertainment for the doctor and his wife.