Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
To be honest, we're not quite sure what the House Rules are… and that's the point. Socrates never explains them; he only refers to them as justifications for why various things, like his Warrior, Inc. Best Practices (3.71), have to be done certain ways. The House Rules are as enigmatic as citation styles. Why must MLA Style require parenthetical in-line citations in the body of the text, rather than in footnotes? It just does. Them's the House Rules.
Here are some instances where the House Rules show up:
Socrates: “The House Rules reveal that you can control your efforts, not outcomes.” (5.171)
Again, Socrates: “House rules: For every strength there is a weakness—and for every weakness, a strength.” (7.37)
So why are these rules so dang slippery? Why can we never get a clear idea of what they actually are?! This is frustrating, right?
Yep: they're frustrating… like life is frustrating. These rules are as nebulous as the rules that govern our lives. Part of Dan's big project is that he has to give up on knowing the answers to every little niggling question that comes into his brainpan and start just accepting the mystery of it all.