A Little Princess Theme of Friendship

How exactly does Sara bear it all in A Little Princess? Well, there's that whole inner grace thing. But it also helps that she has a pretty tight crew that sticks with her through thick and thin. Yeah, Lottie, Becky, and Ermengarde are a ragtag bunch of misfits, but they're also the only girls at the school who don't judge Sara or turn their snotty little backs on her (ahem, Lavinia) when it seems as though she's lost everything. And no matter how nice your doll is, real human friends are irreplaceable.

1. Do friends have to be "real" people? What counts a friendship in A Little Princess? Would you be happy with the kinds of friends Sara has?
2. Why does Sara choose Ermengarde as her friend? What does she gain from their friendship? 
3. Why is Sara's kindness so startling to a character like Becky? What does Sara gain from that friendship? And how about from her friendship with Lottie?
4. What role does Emily serve in the story?

No matter how good her imagination is, Sara would not survive her circumstances without all her friends, both real and imagined.

Sara's initial kindness wins over more people than her material goods.