Sentence:  This behavior on her part subsided only after I had come to see the uncomfortably close similarity between , on the one hand , her arranging the ventilation of the common living room to her own liking , or turning the television off or on without regard to the wishes of the others , and on the other hand , my own coming stolidly into her room despite her persistent and vociferous objections , bringing my big easy chair with me , usually shutting the windows of her room which she <WSD>preferred</WSD> to keep in a very cold state , and plunking myself down in my chair - in short , behaving as if I owned her room . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  select as an alternative over another