How does the author use allegory in the novel, This Is How It Always Is?

Grumwald and Princess Stephanie, two characters in Penn’s fairy tale, become allegorical representations of Claude/Poppy’s struggle to come to terms with her gender identity and be accepted by the community. Princess Stephanie is a night fairy and faces the challenge of keeping her identity a secret. Finally, she and Grumwald are revealed to be the same entity, who makes a choice to be both.