Neon Gods

Consider the nature of public versus private intimacy in the text. How do Hades and Persephone remain the same in both settings, and how does their private life reveal aspects of their bond that are not visible in their public kink scenes?

How do Hermes and Dionysus serve as both comic relief and keen observers of Olympian power dynamics?

In what ways does Hades confront and accept his past in order to resolve both his political and personal anxieties?

Consider the character of Demeter. In what ways is she like or unlike Persephone, and does this help make her more, or less, sympathetic?

How does Robert demonstrate that patriarchal gender norms and the harms they cause are at the heart of what makes the upper city dangerous and alienating?

In what ways does Persephone reflect on the nature of appearances, and how do her changing views reflect her growing bond with Hades?

How does Robert use the character of Zeus to make arguments about masculinity and power?

How do the settings of the lower city, such as the fashion atelier, the greenhouse, and the night market, reveal different aspects of Hades’s personality?