Message

Social Behavior:

Young Ivy is enlisted by a gang of thieves to help "skin," or steal children's clothes. She works for them for a couple years. This gang, portrayed sympathetically, later breaks into a house to rob it. Ivy is a vegetarian. A female character turns out to be a cross-dressing man.

Consumerism:

Ivy learns the value of different cloth materials as part of her thief training.

Drugs/Alcohol/Tobacco:

Adults give Ivy laudanum (an opiate) to quiet her as a child; she becomes addicted to it. She suffers physical and mental symptoms of addiction when denied the drug. An artist's wife dies from a laudanum overdose. An enemy tries to kill Ivy with too much laudanum; Ivy considers committing suicide by drinking an entire bottle.

Violence

Ivy's cousin threatens to "thrash" her as a young child. Ivy believes her caretaker killed a theft victim, and runs away from the bloody scene of the crime. An enemy attempts to murder Ivy on several occasions. Ivy plans to commit suicide to escape her poor lot in life. A woman poisons her neighbor's pet armadillo.

Sex

Ivy's aunt warns that Ivy's employer will "pounce on her" and advises her to "make sure the price is right before you lets 'im have 'is wicked way."

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