- Does Joe really love Susan? What do his friends think of it?.
They both think that Joe is not really in love with Susan, but it's her father's money he's after. They think he should get a girl of his own class. I don't agree with that, I do think Joe is in love with Susan and I don't think it necessary for him to try and find a girl of his own class.
- What is the fight between Joe and Alice really about?.
The fight is really about jealousy and possessiveness and narrow-mindedness ("Some of my standards were still Dufton standards, and in Dufton artists" models were thought of as tarts, not quite professionals, but simply the kind who couldn't be bothered to say no. It was unbearable to think of Alice in that way; and I didn't know, or didn't want to know, why it should affect me at all. And I was jealous retrospectively- it was almost as if I were standing frustrated outside the studio, a pimply sixteen").
- Was the price Joe paid really too high?.
On page 123 Joe says "I feel what is correct for me to feel; I go through the necessary motions. But I can not delude myself that I care" and "I look back at that raw young man sitting miserable in the pub with a feeling of genuine regret; I wouldn't, even if I could, change places with him, but he was indisputably a better person than the smooth character I am now, after ten years of getting almost everything that I ever wanted. I know the name he"d give me: the Successful Zombie". That is a strong indication that the price was really too high.
- What do Joe and Jack mean with zombies? What do they mean with the grading system?.
There isn't anything to do in Dufton and the people are very dull. Charles and Joe called everyone they didn't approve of zombies, for these people pretend to be alive (in their opinion).
With the grading system for women Charles and Joe were able to estimate the husbands" incomes by the looks of their wives. Men with high incomes have better looking wives.