What do mirrors represent in the novel, The Mirror and the Light?

Mirrors serve as a complex symbol in the novel, representing identity, misunderstanding, and distortion. Henry is delighted when Cromwell calls him "the mirror and the light" of all princes: here, the image suggests that he is a model to all, reflecting true kingly glory. But if mirrors reflect the truth, they also reverse and distort it. Cromwell's downfall puts him in a house of mirrors. His interrogators turn all his careful actions against him; his genuine (if complex) loyalty is reversed into treason.