Where are the White Mountains? Who lives there? Why? Why do they live in tunnels and caves? What is the tunnel that Will and his friends explore in the opening pages of the novel? Why is Will surprised to find a hotel at the top and not a king's palace? What do Will's impressions of these tunnels and this hotel tell the reader about the world in which Will lives?

What are Tripods? Why is Will afraid of them? Why does Will describe the destruction of a Tripod in an earlier novel? What bearing does that have on Will as the novel progresses? Who else mentions this destruction later in the novel? Why?

What are caps? What do caps have to do with the Tripods? Why does Will not have a cap? Why is a fake cap molded to Will's head before he leaves...