Question B

[Jonetta]

I always wondered about Tom's last name. Were you surprised to learn he didn't have one? Did this situation help you better understand his devotion to Sebastian?

[Charlene]

I guess I assumed that he didn't know his last name. He and Sebastian saved each other early on, since Sebastian doesn't know who his father was.

[Veronica]

I was a little surprised though I guess I shouldn't be. His mother was sent away and his brother was hanged when he was still very young. Who would be around to tell him anything about himself?

[Jonetta]

So often, authors will just not provide last names for every character but because I keep up the character lists from book to book, Tom's missing last name bugged me. Why it didn't occur to me that it was a critical element of the series....just one more of the injustices of that era.

That revelation and the information coming out of Hero's research helped me understand why Tom is so devoted to Sebastian. It's the first time in his short life that he's been cared for and given an identity. It left me treasuring their relationship even more.

[Veronica]

I know there have been characters amongst the poor that Sebastian and Hero have encountered who haven't been sure how old they are, meaning they're not sure when they were born. When you're that poor and just surviving is the sole focus, observing things like birthdays must be almost a luxury.

[Jonetta]

Heartbreaking.

[Lauren]

It didn't surprise me that he didn't have a last name. As Veronica says, dates of birth and surnames are secondary when you are trying to survive on the streets. Moreover, people of the lower classes were more often than not known by nicknames associated with their occupations. There is also the fact that many of the men and women were not actually married (as Hero notes in this book) and it is unclear which parent's surname they would have.