1. Maria is not a bad person, but in her initial dealings with the Lilliputians she makes some serious mistakes, and her behavior is less than admirable. What reasons can you give for this?

2. "You are a great person yourself. . .

and you don't need to lord it over others, in order to prove your greatness," says the Professor. And, by giving this bit of advice to Maria, he also expresses a major theme of this novel. How is this theme developed?

3. The Professor tells Maria that he is a failure. In what ways is this an unfair judgment of his own achievements?

What aspects of his own character does the Professor overlook in making this statement?

4. Why does the Professor avoid meeting the Lilliputians for so long? What does this illustrate about his character?

5. Miss Brown and Vicar Hater are both determined to gain control...