Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Theme of Loyalty

Loyalty may be a Hufflepuff virtue, but everyone in Gryffindor is pretty good at it too. Face it, in this book nearly everyone's loyal – even the bad guys are loyal to their own side. Loyalty provides much of the motivation for plot points throughout Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone: characters stand up for the ideas they believe in and each other. However, sometimes people – or creatures – have to behave in what seems like a disloyal manner for the greater good.

1. Who do you think is the most loyal character? Why?
2. Should loyalty really categorize Gryffindors instead of Hufflepuffs? What should Hufflepuffs be known for?
3. Can Malfoy's praise of purebloods over Muggles be understood as some kind of weird, twisted loyalty? Why or why not?