Content Warning: This section includes references of child abuse and cannibalism.

In the world of Lapvona, many of the characters experience Suffering As Salvation. Their lives are already full of suffering, which they rationalize by equating it with holiness. This is particularly showcased through the motif of self-flagellation, which Jude and Marek practice every Sunday as a religious observance. When Marek first goes to the manor, he tries to hurt himself with a shoe, but Lispeth stops and chides him. No self-flagellation occurs at the manor because their lives are relatively comfortable and easy; there is no psychological need to explain away hardship.

The water motif develops The Dichotomy Between Wealth and Poverty. When the entire village suffers a terrible drought and subsequent crop failure, over half the villagers die and many others resort to cannibalism to survive. At the manor, however, there is no shortage at all. Villiam’s reservoir of water, which he collects from mountain glaciers and hoards, symbolizes the power imbalance between the manor and the village. Villiam and Father Barnabas go night-swimming in the reservoir, enjoying the water in excess like spoiled children.