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What different methods of manipulation do the characters employ?
I think one method of manipulation is first used by Mrs Lyons. She is by far one of the characters in the book that makes use of manipulating people. She does this by feeding on their weakness: 'Because if you tell anyone, they will learn the truth..' . As Mrs Lyons knows how superstitious Mrs Johnstone is, she takes advantage and creates a whole new superstition. This shows that both Mrs Johnstone and Mrs Lyons have a low sense of morality as Mrs Lyons is manipulating someone to keep their child and Mrs Johnstone is allowing her to keep the child.
Blackmail? Bribery? Threat? Fear? e.g How do you react to the fact that it is Mrs Lyons who tells Micky about Linda and Eddie's affair?
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To what extent can you see the play as an exploration of ideas relating to nature vs nurture?
i think the nature versus nurture is used in the play a lot as

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Mickey - 'Well, how come you got everything...an' I got nothing?'
This quote shows that Mickey is still to young to understand how Eddie was given in a rich family and that he was placed in a poorer family that is unable to afford many things. He is jealous but not angry, he is just annoyed and is complaining that Eddie has things he does not.
Eddie - 'Why is a job so important?'
This quote shows that Eddie doesn't realise the importance of money and getting a job because since he was younger  he was constantly spoiled by his parents always giving him everything he wants because it is affordable. He does not see the value in getting a job because he does not need one as he has everything he needs.
Linda - 'An' what about what I need?I need you. I love you. But, Mickey, not when you've got them inside you'
I think this quote shows that Linda loves Mickey but she is clueless upon what to do with Mickey's 'depressed state' because this has never happened to her before so her only resort is by half threatening him about not loving him anymore. It is not the fact that she doesn't care but its just she doesn't know what to do.
Mrs Johnstone - 'By the time I was twenty five, I looked like forty two, With seven hungry mouths to feed and one more nearly due.'
I think that this quote shows that she is constantly pressured to get into marriage and have children because of her appearance. This peer pressure resulted in her having seven children and one more on the way.
Mrs Lyons - 'You won't tell anyone about this Mrs Johnstone, because if you do, it will kill them'
This quote presents the manipulative side of Mrs Lyons as she is shown to go to the extent of creating up a fake superstition just so that she is able to keep a child( that is not even hers) from their mother. I think this also shows her cruelty because she agreed to let Mrs Johnstone see the child everyday, but after when she realised her husband was at risk of finding out she quickly broke her promise to save herself.

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Do you think Mrs Johnstone is a good mother? Why?
- I think it depends as first she gave her other twin away to Mrs Lyons which I think she should not do because once both of the twins has grown up they'll obviously know they're twins and the other one who didn't get given away will think that it's unfair. However, she gave the other twin away is because she can't afford to raise two children.

What is meant by a 'love triangle'? Which three characters are involved in one?
A love triangle is a never ending cycle of love where each individual is in love with the other. I think the three characters that are involved are Mickey, Eddie and Linda because Mickey is in love with having a good relationship with Eddie, Linda is is head over heels for Mickey and Eddie is in love with Linda.

Why do Mickey and Eddie begin to fall out?
They begin to fall out because Eddie suddenly goes away to university leaving Mickey and Linda all alone to fend for themselves as they are poor and don't have that much money to find jobs for themselves.

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Once Mrs Johnstone has agreed to give one of her twins to Mrs Lyons, Mrs Lyons 'shows a Bible to Mrs Johnstone' - why does she do this?
She does this to show Mrs Johnstone and the audience that she is deadly serious about this baby and that she wants to make sure Mrs Johnstone will not and will not be able to change her mind and take back her baby. The Bible indicates that she was going to make a deal with Mrs Johnstone and pray to god/make an agreement that was unbreakable forever.
The stage directions say that Mickey 'waves at Edward with his gun hand' and it 'explodes' - does it seem as if he deliberately shot Edward?
No, because it mentions that he was 'waving' his gun hand and that it suddenly explodes on Eddie. This was not shown as a move on purpose but it could be foreshadowing something that could happening in the near/far future. ( Next time maybe not on accident ).

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- Give three examples of symbols that relate to superstition.
Cracking a mirror
Black cats crossing your path
Don't walk under the ladder
These three are some of the main points of superstition which represents bad luck.

- When Eddie and Mickey meet as small children, what evidence is there that they are from different classes?
Mickey did not know what a dictionary was but he knew all the swear words and stuff whereas Mickey had a wider range of vocabulary but he is unaware of swear words. Another example of is that Edward knew many large words which a normal eight-year-old would not, this suggests that he’s well educated.

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Do the songs make the mood of the play lighter or more serious? What about the presence of the narrator?
In my opinion, I think it depends on the tone and lyrics of the song because the opening song started off happy and delighting creating a bright setting for the beginning of the play but towards the end of the song the mood changed to sad and pity as this was when Mrs Johnstone explained that her husband had left he for someone 'prettier' than her.
I think the presence of the narrator dims the mood and leaves us quite uncomfortable because some of his main lines are directing peoples problems or maybe contrasting the play in a negative mood.
At the end, the narrator asks 'And do we blame superstition for what came to pass? Or could it be what we, the English, have come to know as class?' -- What does he mean by this?
He is trying to make the audience think that is the cause of Mickey and Eddie's death all created by superstition and belief which was fake created by Mrs Lyons. Or was it all due to the fact that they were born in two different classes which affected what they were given which all led up to this moment ( the death of both Mickey and Eddie).

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- Why does the play open with what is actually the final scene? How does this affect the audience's opinion?
This will make the audience want to know what happened and keep reading or watching the play like a cliffhanger.

- How does Mrs Lyons persuade Mrs Johnstone to give up one of the twins?
She reveals to Mrs Johnstone that her and her husband are unable to have children and her husband refuses to adopt. Mrs Lyons’ desperation and manipulation leads Mrs Johnstone to give up one of her twins.

- What does Mrs Johnstone give to Eddie which she tells him to keep a secret?
A locket of Mrs Johnstone and Mickey.

- Why does Mickey want to kill Eddie in the final scene of the play?
This is because Eddie had an affair with Linda during Mickeys 'depressed' state and furthermore he found out that Eddie was actually his twin brother which makes it worst because it's worst for a twin brother to do something that horrible.

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What are the contrasts between Mrs Lyons and Mrs Johnstone?
Mrs Johnstone is presented as a kind, loving, caring but naive person whereas Mrs Lyons is presented as a selfish, manipulative and threatening person.
In what ways have Mickey and Eddie had different lives?
Eddie was born in a rich and wealthy family with two very supportive parents but he was an only child and 'soft', whereas Mickey was born into a poor and working class family where he had many siblings and learnt to be tough but not so much as educated as Eddie.
Why does Mickey agree to join Sammy in committing a crime?
Because if Mickey never agreed to Sammy, he would have presented him self as a weakling and 'soft' to his friends and siblings and consequently maybe resulting in them beating him up or bullying him.
Why does Linda ask Eddie for help?
Linda asks him for help because Eddie is one of the only people she trusts and he is one of the close people she knows is rich and wealthy enough to support her and Mickey financially. And maybe she was trying to fix things between the two brothers.