Analyze the novel’s widespread depiction of deception, from the Fontaine sisters to Armand Saphir and Fitcher’s Troupe. How do their schemes function as critiques of their social and moral landscape?

Discuss how Mallory and Anaïs’s characters work together in the narrative to subvert traditional fairytale representations of women. In your answer, consider whether they acts as foils in the novel.

Explore how the physical condition of the abandoned house in Morant and the decaying château in Comorre mirrors the psychological and moral states of the Saphir and Fontaine families. How does the novel’s conclusion resolve this symbolic connection between architecture and identity?