The Ogress and the Orphans

Cass’s plan to leave so Anthea doesn’t have to mirrors Anthea’s previous struggle with the rule about leaving the Orphan House at age 14. Anthea didn’t want to ask anyone about the rule because she feared it would be true and enforced. Instead, Anthea continued to work hard and do as much as she could for the Orphan House before the time came. By contrast, Cass takes definitive action, even if her actions aren’t the best idea. When she discovers that Anthea is worried about being kicked out of the house, Cass makes preparations and leaves, not questioning the decision until she’s alone and unsure. The different ways Anthea and Cass handle their decisions show that there is no one way to approach a situation. Different solutions have benefits and downsides, and we can’t always see outcomes until we experience them.

Chapter 22 is a story about the dragon-Mayor’s past. The dragon wasn’t concerned about being banished and only cared about losing his possessions, fearing he’d never have riches to count again. When the dragon comes across the dead ogre, he doesn’t understand or care why the ogres set out their dead with finery and gold. He sees only riches he can take and how these riches represent more he can gather. How he swindles the ogre town and is eventually discovered foreshadow what’s happening to Stone-in-the-Glen in the story’s present, as well as how the townspeople will uncover the Mayor’s deception. The dragon’s final words in Chapter 22 make it clear that swindling is a game to him, and losing doesn’t matter as long as there is more to gain later.

Chapter 24 begins the misunderstandings that power many of the conflicts throughout the rest of the book. The Matron assumes Cass was kidnapped because she can’t fathom that Cass would have run away. Anthea knows the truth, but no one listens to her because she’s a child, something Anthea struggles with as tensions increase. The cobbler jumps to conclusions, and his wife’s response shows the importance of gathering information while bolstering the Facts Matter theme. The cobbler’s wife understands that the Matron and cobbler are making assumptions, but no one listens to her because they are too scared about what might have happened to Cass. The words of the cobbler’s wife also speak to the problem of panic. When something goes wrong, panic is a strong instinct, but panicking also turns off our ability to reason. Rather than consider all possibilities, the panicking Matron and cobbler jump to the worst possibility, which leads to more panic and uncertainty later on.

The reaction of the townspeople exemplifies how division leads to apathy. The Mayor’s antics have so thoroughly divided the people that they are suspicious and uncaring when something goes wrong. Rather than rallying to help find a missing child, the people blame the Orphan House or shrug off Cass’s disappearance as someone else’s problem. They don’t trust their neighbors and don’t want to get involved in something they feel doesn’t affect them. Some of the townspeople go so far as to believe Cass is better off kidnapped because of how bad things have gotten in Stone-in-the-Glen. If the townspeople thought about it, they’d realize that nothing overly tragic has happened since the buildings burned several years ago, but they are too fixated on the past and how the past could mean more things will go wrong in the future. As a result, they convince themselves that anything, even being taken against one’s will, is better than living in Stone-in-the-Glen.

The cobbler’s interaction with the Mayor is the first hint that the Mayor is losing his power over the people. The cobbler is initially enthralled by the Mayor’s presence, but the urgency of Cass’s disappearance helps the cobbler break through whatever spell the Mayor casts. The Mayor’s magic makes it difficult for the cobbler to focus, helping him realize that something is wrong with the Mayor. The Mayor’s response to the cobbler’s plea for help shows that he only focuses on himself. The Mayor shows no interest in helping the search for Cass, instead offering to speak about how wonderful he is to make people feel better.