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Here are two versions of a paragraph from book 2 of The Map of Unknown Things:

“She began probing inside the keyhole with the tip of the nail. The crudeness of finish suggested something easy to pick. A simple ward lock perhaps. But locks could be as deceptive as people."

and

"She began probing inside the keyhole with the tip of the nail. The crudeness of finish suggested something easy to pick. A simple ward lock perhaps. But locks can be as deceptive as people."

One word has been changed: 'could' for 'can'. The difference in meaning is slight. But there is something interesting about the way each version positions the narrator. Are they inside the story or outside it?

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