Why is Michael not given a last name in the novel? He reveals a great deal about himself during the course of the story, and he is the main character. What is the point of not giving him a surname?

What do you think of the curse that the monk in Colombo puts on Sir Hector, which causes him to die from dog bites? What is the author exploring or demonstrating by making Sir Hector's story turn out this way?

After Ramadhin's death, Michael concludes that his friend was a kind of everyday saint. Such high praise might seem to conflict with the story of Ramadhin's crush on his 14 year-old pupil when he was 30. What's more, Ramadhin also was the one who smuggled the dog aboard the Oronsay that killed Sir Hector, but he never owned up to it. Do you think Ramadhin is...