Reading both Bluebeard and The Bloody Chamber, I kept thinking about some of the elements these stories have in common with Disney's version of Beauty and the Beast. In the movie, Belle is essentially a prisoner, who much like the women in the other two stories, is explicitly forbidden to go into the West Wing of the castle. Belle is also overcome by her curiosity, and experiences the wrath of the Beast when he discovers her examining the wilting rose. A darker version of the movie could have gone completely differently, with the Beast killing Belle for disobeying him just like in the other two stories.
In some ways, the only distinguishing factor between Belle and the other women from the stories is that Belle is not as replaceable. The Beast is isolated, and needs Belle to break the curse in order to become human again, whereas in Bluebeard and The Bloody Chamber, the men do not need the women for anything but their own twisted pleasure. I think it all comes down to how replaceable the women are in these stories. Without the convenient supply of "dolls" the men would be unable to continue their actions. They would either have to change like the Beast does, or find a different outlet for their desires. What would have happened if Bluebeard and the Marquis were unable to keep marrying new women?
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