School and class imagery
Will and Andrea are set inside an imagery of classrooms, hallways, and teachers. Their ploys to earn money off of the myriad rich kids in this private school are covert, meaning that they have to constantly watch out for school officials who would probably kick them out or at least administer some very unpleasant punishment. To them, school is a highly competitive environment, leading them to compete for top dog in other ways besides academically. Whoever succeeds will win a prideful competition.
Male and female
Each of the protagonists, Will Shea and his perfect foil, Andrea, are expressions of imagery. Namely, they show the similarities and differences of the male and female genders. This is especially insightful when they decide to intentionally manipulate a student into giving them money. Their task is literally to weasel their way into a rich student's life to exploit him of trust. So, Will demonstrates a masculine strategy, luring Will into a poker tournament, and Andrea exploits him in a more seductive, charming way, flirting with him and then asking him for the money on false pretenses. In reality, they have much more in common than they do different, which is a thematic irony in the book.
Money and wealth
To Will and Andrea, it is difficult not to think about money. Neither student has as much money as the average student—not by a long shot. They are imbedded as outsiders in a network of society's wealthiest families. To them, the rich students are spoiled and stupid because of their privilege, and the eventual outcome of these feelings is that both Will and Andrea decide that it is basically their Robin Hood-esque duty to strip them of money they do not deserve. This imagery shows their desire for money stemming from their experience of scarcity.
The Trickster
This imagery is a full-blown depiction of an important character motif—the Trickster. In literature, the Trickster motif occurs when a character is intentionally deceitful with a mischievous attitude. This novel has two little pranksters competing to see who will reign supreme, the male trickster or the female trickster. Together, they form a portrait of the human capacity for deceit and manipulation, both in an active masculine way, and in a more seductive, feminine way.
