History YMMV / MaloryTowers

* UnintentionallySympathetic: Maureen in the fifth book right after her arrival. You're supposed to dislike her because she talks (and to be fair) brags a lot but she just seems to be really excited (and probably a little nervous)) about her new school which is why she's overly talkative. Considering that she just wants to make friends and/or new contacts one can feel sorry for her because the others instantly dislike her because new students are supposed to be quiet.

** Catherine in the same book. Sure, she's an over-the-top goody two shoes wannabe, but she was genuinely trying to be kind and helpful only to get constantly blown off and mocked by the other girls, and you can feel quite sorry for her when Belinda humiliates her with a carricature in front of the whole class, everybody laughs at her and she leaves the room crying. Yet she supposedly deserves it and [[DesignatedHero Belinda wasn't being mean, but funny and responsibly teaching her a lesson.]]

* AcceptableLifestyleTargets: Those who hate sports (especially swimming).

** Catherine in the same book. Sure, she's an over-the-top goody two shoes wannabe, but she was genuinely trying to be kind and helpful only to get constantly blown off and mocked by the other girls, and you can feel quite sorry for her when Belinda humiliates her with a carricature in front of the whole class, everybody laughes at her and she leaves the room crying. Yet she supposedly deserves it and [[DesignatedHero Belinda wasn't being mean, but funny and responsibly teaching her a lesson.]]

** Katherine in the same book. Sure, she's an over-the-top goody two shoes wannabe but you can feel quite sorry for her when Belinda humiliates her with a carricature in front of the whole class, everybody laughes at her and she leaves the room crying. Yet she supposedly deserves it and [[DesignatedHero Belinda wasn't being mean, but funny and responsibly teaching her a lesson.]]

* DesignatedHero: The 'responsible' form teachers. They are nasty to every girl who doesn't fit in their picture of the perfect MT girl yet supposedly havr the right to do so snd are portrayed as [[ReasonableAuthorityFigures Reasonable Authority Figures]] and obviously favor students like Darrell and Sally.

* DestignatedHero: The 'responsible' form teachers. They are nasty to every girl who doesn't fit in their picture of the perfect MT girl yet supposedly havr the right to do so snd are portrayed as [[ReasonablyAuthorityFigures Reasonably Authority Figures]] and obviously favor students like Darrell and Sally.

** Katherine in the same book. Sure, she's an over-the-top goody two shoes wannabe but you can feel quite sorry for her when Belinda humiliates her with a carricature in front of the whole class, everybody laughes at her and she leaves the room crying. Yet she supposedly deserves it and [[DestignatedHero Belinda wasn't being mean, but funny and responsibly teaching her a lesson.]]

* {{Moe}}: Mary-Lou

* FamilyUnfriendlyAesop: Zerelda's plot arc seems to come down to "If you have a dream and the relevant teacher tells you that you weren't born a prodigy and therefore will never succeed, just give up, it'll be better for you in the long run. Don't even try to, for instance, go to a special school to really try to learn- nope, just give up your dream and go do your homework."

* FamilyUnfriendlyAesop: Zerelda's plot arc seems to come down to "If you have a dream, then when a teacher tells you that you don't have any real acting skills, just give up, it'll be better for you in the long run. Don't even try to, for instance, go to a special school to really try to learn- nope, just give up your dream and go do your homework."

* WhatAnIdiot: Gwen. She tried to skip the exams faking a heart disease and she didn't think she would be, you know, examinated by a doctor.

* FridgeLogic: Why does Mr Lacey keep Miss Winter in his home after Gwen started the school?

* HideYourLesbians: Bill and Clarissa. YMMV on this one because, though it's a widely accepted fan theory, it's not canon. They're both explicitly mentioned as being very tomboyish (Bill more so), and when they grow up instead of going to university and getting married like the rest of the girls they run a stables together.
** This is Enid Blyton's work, from the fifties. There's almost no chance that this is anything more than the tomboyish friendship it outwardly appears to be - Clarissa isn't even all that boyish; she just likes horses, as Bill does.

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: Gwen's father. The books portrays him as the OnlySaneMan in a household full of brainless women, trying to turn Gwen into a decent woman despite the mother and governess ruining his efforts. But he apparently hired Miss Winter (a complete airhead)and saw her spoiling Gwen rotten along his wife during years. He didn't check if Miss Winter was giving the child a proper education (she wasn't). And when Gwen turned to be an irrecoverable SpoiledBrat his solution was...send her to a broading school, far away from home, and let the teachers clean the mess.

* FridgeLogic: Why does Mr Lacie keep Miss Winter in his home after Gwen started the school?

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: Gwen's father. The books portrays him as the OnlySaneMan in a household full of brainless women, trying to turn Gwen into a decent woman despite the mother and governess ruining his efforts. But he apparently hired Miss Winter (a complete airhead)and saw her spoiling Gwen rotten along his wife during years and not cheking if Miss Winter was giving the child a proper education (she wasn't). And when Gwen turned to be an irrecoverable SpoiledBrat his solution was...send her to a broading school, far away from home, and let the teachers clean the mess.

* FamilyUnfriendlyAesop: Zerelda's plot arc seems to come down to "If you have a dream, then when a teacher tells you that you don't have any real acting skills, just give up, it'll be better for you in the long run. Don't bother going to a special school to really try to learn- nope, just give up your dream and go do your homework."

* TooDumbToLive: Amanda. She went swimming in the sea despite being warned that it was incredibly dangerous and that there was a fast current. End result: she nearly got killed and her career as an Olympic swimmer was over before it had begun.

** Could apply to Alicia and Betty too - they're best friends who hang around an awful lot for people in completely different houses, and it's established in one of the books that they regularly sneak around at night together, but like most non-canon examples of this trope it's probably really just an imagined extension of a [[TheFifties fifties-style]] RomanticTwoGirlFriendship.'
* TooDumbToLive: Amanda. She went swimming in the sea despite being warned that it was incredibly dangerous and that there was a fast current. End result: she nearly got killed and her career was effectively over. Moron.

** Could apply to Alicia and Betty too - they're best friends who hang around an awful lot for people in completely different houses, and it's established in one of the books that they regularly sneak around at night together, but like most non-canon examples of this trope it's probably really just an imagined extension of a [[TheFifties fifties-style]] RomanticTwoGirlFriendship.
* LesYay: Alison has this a ''lot'', with HotForTeacher antics and slavelike devotion to Sadie and Angela.
** There's also a lot of subtext in the crushes younger girls who "admire" Angela have in the later books. Being a bit of an AlphaBitch (although perhaps without so much alpha), she frequently takes advantage of their affections to make them do chores for her, sets them up in rivalries with each other or takes sadistic pleasure in hurting their feelings. Just look at this:
--> [after jealousy over Jane putting Mirabel's games practice above doing chores for her Angela tells Jane to] ''"...go and find Violet Hill and send her to me. She can do my jobs instead of you."''
--> ''Jane was horrified at this outburst. She had given her heart to the beautiful, radiant Angela and now it was treated as rubbish! Angela didn't want her any more. She would have that silly Violet Hill who adored Angela from afar and would do anything to get a smile from her.''
--> ''Jane gave a sob and rushed out of the room. In a few minutes Violet Hill came in, thrilled to be sent for. Angela gave her orders in a lazy voice, amused to see how the little first former almost trembled with excitement as she tidied up the room and hung on Angela's lightest word.''