1. What colors are mentioned in "Seven for a Secret"? What do the colors mean to the narrator? What do they mean to other characters?

2. Are inner cities dying in the pattern described in "Seven for a Secret"?

Choose a city and describe how its process of decay is represented, or not, in "Seven for a Secret."

3. Are there inner cities that are healing?

Choose one and describe how its process of healing is represented, or not, in "Seven for a Secret."

4. What social services are available to help the homeless in cities? How effective are they? What could be done to improve the them?

5. To what degree is "Seven for a Secret" about the loss of self-respect? How does de Lint handle this idea in other stories? How important is it for understanding his work?

6. Are there other stories about...