Read the excerpt from chapter 2 of The Awakening.

He was spending his summer vacation, as he always did, with his mother at Grand Isle. In former times, before Robert could remember, “the house” had been a summer luxury of the Lebruns. Now, flanked by its dozen or more cottages, which were always filled with exclusive visitors from the “Quartier Français,” it enabled Madame Lebrun to maintain the easy and comfortable existence which appeared to be her birthright.

Which best explains why the author uses the word “flanked” to describe the layout of cottages in the novel’s setting?
to help the reader visualize a house bordered by smaller cottages
to help the reader understand how the setting changed over time
to help the reader visualize the neighborhood of the “Quartier Français”
to help the reader understand Robert’s relationship with the setting