penny dreadful
the caste system
'...you must first understand the caste system, as it is extremely rigid. Movement from one level to another is rare and difficult. But it’s really all that the self-aware Freds and Tremblers may hope for... There is some sideways movement, naturally. Freds may become Tremblers and Tremblers may become Freds, although they surely wouldn’t want to. The Freds are usually but not always men, and most of them are unaware that they have even entered the game. These are the most common victims of the hunt. The Mariners pull them down like sheep. The Mariners, mind you, hunt everyone. The Exquisitors too, may take an unaware Fred if they are desperate. They tend to prefer the mutual kill, though. The shared tongue. The Redeemers and Tremblers do not hunt, exactly. They practice various forms of seduction. They also prey on the Freds, and each other. And the self-aware Freds often hunt each other in small packs. Have I left anyone out? The Breathers, of course. They do not hunt, and claim they don’t need to. And the Gloves. They are masters of the game. Each chapter of the game is watched over by a Glove. I don’t know if they ever bother to hunt and no one, not even the boldest Mariner, would dare attempt to take the tongue of a Glove.'
- Major Tom