What are the causes of social class distinctions in the novel? What are the results of those class distinctions?

What are the discrepancies between what characters seem like on the surface and what they are actually like?

Is authority in the novel trustworthy? Is Rose right to distrust authority?

How does the society of the novel treat women differently than men? What causes the differences between women and men in the vampire society?

How are Queen Tatiana and the headmistress portrayed in the novel, as examples of women in power?

How do the characters use their magical and natural powers? What does how a character uses his or her powers say about that person as a character?

How does Rose's sense of responsibility toward Lissa change throughout the novel?