If some readers take away the idea that animals deserve better treatment in general then I certainly won't argue.
I'd hasten to say that the prejudice in Dust City isn't completely analogous to racism in the real world.
I always hope that the artwork will complement and enrich a story.
Historical atrocities have certainly shown that dehumanizing any group is the first step toward genocide.
I can't say I'm anything like a devoted animal rights activist but I certainly oppose cruelty to animals.
I believe actual violence scars children much more than violence in storybooks.
People of different ethnicities are definitely not of differing species. Biologically speaking people are people.
In medieval Europe childbirth was a leading cause of death. So widowed fathers with children were quite common meaning stepmothers were equally common.
In Japan it's strange to openly take credit for giving to charity or even to donate publicly.
Destiny isn't immutable. You can change your fate. But I'd say the only way to do it is with hard intelligent work and long-term dedication to a goal.
Since I tend to write chronologically the middle is always the place where the process is most taxing.