Socially, the society is a very top-down (the words 'one's betters' are common, as is 'act your station', and 'remember who you are') which contrasts to America which is in many ways a bottom of the social totem pole respecting society. This is a society in which the notion 'street cred' would be nonsense.
Society is viewed as a collection of spinning wheels moving in an intricate and pre-determined dance. One's social obligation is to identify the most proper role for oneself, and then fit into that role as smoothly and gracefully as possible.
There are a great number of stereotypes, or roles, and not all of them are of ancient origin. The creation of new roles to fit new identified needs happens every few years.
Not all of these roles would seem to be 'positive', but the Great Mechanic is to most accurately and usefully reflect Humanity. Thus there are Roles for Thieves and rolls for Cowards. And there are secret rolls, not all of them approved by the Spinnery of the Big Wheels (sorry, couldn't resist that ...) which is the Great Council that runs Gyrial.
The King, as chief Gear of the Big Wheels, views his job as to create a glorious show for the lesser people. He and his court are there to look splendid and to handle what little needs to be handled. Privately, he also thinks that these Roles keep some of his more troublesome nobles from causing trouble. There's hardly enough time with the mandatory parties, appearances, getting dressed, working on committees...to work on treason. The King likes this. And the Grand Show of it is there to amuse the peasants who do the actual work.
The peasants also have their Wheels of Endeavor, and many days off to stand docilely and watch.
There are some who are bored by this intricacy, and instead wish to study the machines, and the gears themselves. Some of these are able to do quite startling things as the City has many, many control systems that have been forgotten. Learn how these controls work, and you can vanish from the street, take an elevator ride Underhill across the City, and appear on the other side....or have a trapdoor open under a foe and drop him into the fertilizer tanks. But there are few of these renegades.
NOTE: The inspiration for this is the Sun King's France, and Regency Romance (something I've not read much of), but I did read From Dawn to Decadence, and it described a very role oriented societal structure that I think is the basis for much of Regency Romance, although I could definitely be wrong.
This could be a rather bizarre background for a Romance between Verser and Noble Lady, or vice versa...
PT
