Kai clearly carries some of the typical bias that most fully human Earthens harbor against cyborgs. But at the same time, the book implies that he is more hurt by the fact that Cinder lied about her identity than he is disgusted by her robotic parts. Notably, this is another connection between “Cinderella” and
Cinder: both Cinder’s mechanical foot and Cinderella’s slipper help the respective princes in the story discover the women’s true identities. But while Prince Charming of the original tale remains in love with the humble Cinderella, here Kai feels betrayed and no longer wants anything to do with Cinder. Thus, Cinder’s deception was actually harmful to her relationship with Kai because the truth came out later—more so than if she had been open in the first place.