The over-versus-under argument sounds like a joke until two people share one bathroom. One wants the paper coming over the top. The other wants it tucked against the wall. There is no law that settles it, but there is a first official picture. The 1891 patent drawing for the roll shows the sheet hanging over the front. That is the version most people mean when they say there is a “proper” way. It is easier to grab, easier to see the end, and less likely to drag against a dirty wall.

Over is also the more practical hang for most households. A guest can find the paper without hunting. One-handed tearing works better. The roll is less likely to smear against tile. Under has its own case. Pets and small children who love to spin a roll do less damage when the paper hangs against the wall. Some people simply grew up with under and never thought about it again. Preference is not a character flaw. It is usually just the bathroom you learned first.

The fight is rarely about paper. It is about who gets to set the default in a shared space. A strong opinion on a two-cent habit can look like control. Refusing to notice the other person’s habit can look like contempt. Neither person is defending a moral principle. They are defending the feeling that their way is the normal way. That is why the same argument returns after every empty roll. The cardboard tube is small. The need to be right is not.

A house can survive both hangs. What it cannot survive is treating every tiny difference as a verdict. Pick a default, put a spare roll where it can be seen, and save the energy for bills and burnt toast. The patent favored over. Cats favor under. Peace favors the person who will hang it the other way without a speech. The roll will empty either way. The tone in the hallway is the part that lasts.