Worthy of note: two of the protagonists begin a sexual relationship. One is a 38-year-old visiting professor, and the second is a 24-year-old resident advisor in a dorm where the professor conducted research interviews. The instability of hierarchies and the difficulty of navigating them is a major theme. So, although the resident advisor is of age and is not a student of the professor, multiple characters who are aware of the relationship raise ethical concerns about it.