why does leper prefer the dining room of all the rooms in his house?

Leper tells Gene that he likes the dining room better than the living room.

You aren't lost for something to do in dining rooms. It's in the living room where people can't figure out what to do with themselves. People get problems in living rooms . . . . In here you never wonder what's going to happen. You know the meals will come in three times a day for instance.

The dining room represents order and stability.