Relationships between Humans and Creatures

An integral part of human nature is to fear those who are different, and many of the characters of this novel are creatures – vampires, witches, and daemons – who inspire fear in the humans they encounter. There are a few humans who simply accept the presence of these creatures without fear, but they are the exception. The relationships are affected by several factors, including the Congregation's rules, the power of superstitious fear, and public perception.

Diana knows that the Congregation has been adept at “hiding otherworldly creatures from unwanted attention” (14), specifically from human attention. These efforts date back hundreds of years because human fear often ended with creatures being killed, even if they had harmed no one. While the original efforts were perhaps warranted, the Congregation has become so powerful by the 21st Century that it governs with an iron fist and freely...