To me, this is just shuffling the pack whilst the game remains unchanged.
There won't be any significant change whilst the electoral system and the role of the civil service remain as they are.
I think its the top. It could be the home of a clean freak but the lack of any sort of detritus on the stairs makes me think they're the vertical faces of the stairs. Of course, the detritus could now just be stuck to the mattress.