Essay Questions

What is the root cause of the rivalry between Lucy and the Rotwell Agency?

Business rivalry is common between Lockwood Co. and the Rotwell Agency. The success of any business is dependent on the expertise of the workforce. Lockwood and Co. prefects put in place highly talented employees like Lucy. In physics investigations, Lucy has the talent of hearing the conversation of ghosts, making her one of the most important assets in Lockwood Co. As a result, Lockwood and Co. win all cases involving ghost investigation. Rotwell Agency is unhappy with Lucy because she is the reason it has yet to succeed in business. Clients that initially relied on Rotwell Agency are now looking for Lucy to take over their cases, which makes Rotwell Agency angry.

Why is the author considering ‘The supernatural’ as the most important theme in The Creeping Shadow compared to other previous series?

Unlike in the previous Lockwood and Co. book series, the supernatural element in The Creeping Shadow plays an important role. Throughout The Creeping Shadow, the main characters, such as Lucy, frequently interact with supernatural things, such as ghosts, head-on. The other supernatural things in the novel include the Source and other scary creatures such as Brixton cannibals. In particular, The Creeping Shadow is horrific because humans interact with supernatural things. Lucy's primary work in Lockwood and Co. is interacting with ghosts and listening to their conversations before starting her investigations.

What is the significance of the character Quill Kips in the Fittes Agency?

The author uses the character Quill Kips to show readers that business competition is not about the adversary but about improving service quality. Quill Kips works for Fittes Agency, an important competitor of Lockwood and Co. However, Kips and Antony Lockwood are best friends because outside of business, they frequently meet to have leisure, do betting, and make jokes.