There is no conclusive evidence to say that the story contains real ghosts and reasonable evidence to suggest that there are other explanations. Ghosts aren't real. Rather, they are an invented part of the housekeeper's mind. No one sees what the housekeeper claims to see. Even in the ideal moments to do so, Mrs. Grose sees nothing and the children have plausible excuses. The housekeeper still fully believes it. However, he misinterprets reality and pushes the children to confess that they saw something they had never seen. The crackdown is not a ghost