WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Season 1 of Tiny Pretty Things, now streaming on Netflix.
Season 1 of Netflix's Tiny Pretty Things places focus on finding the person who shoved Cassie off the roof and tried to kill the ballet dancer. But as the episodes explore the mystery of this hooded assailant, it starts to become clear that many of the teens at Chicago's Archer School of Ballet have dark skeletons in their closet and are willing to commit crimes to ascend the ladder.
However, by the time the season wraps, it's obvious the biggest villain in the series isn't this shady killer -- it's the sinister faculty that's ruining these kids' lives.
While the teens have so many hang-ups, a lot of what influences them are the teachers who are supposed to be grooming and guiding them towards success for prestigious institutions. They're the worst role models, with two major names being sexual predators. The first is Madame Monique DuBois, the head of the school, who's having an affair with a young student, Caleb. It's her modus operandi, and with him, she capitalizes on Caleb losing his dad overseas to make him her boy-toy.
She pushes him as the face of the school, even though he's not the best, which riles up the likes of Nabil and Oren. It's unfair to the rest, but this behavior is what turned Ramon into a predator as well. He was her plaything and he learned predatory ways from her. He then seduced Cassie, having an affair with her before she was pushed off the roof. In addition, Ramon also had a toxic attitude within, pushing students unfairly, encouraging them to be spiteful to get whatever victory they need in life and wanting them to embrace their darkness.
It's an art to him, and commissioning a play on Jack the Ripper after Cassie's in a coma shows how insensitive he can be. Ramon also took money for sex in his heyday, which resulted in June being his daughter, so one can tell he has never been about principles, ethics and morals. This is why when Cassie recovers, she has an evil air to her, framing her rival, Bette, for the crime. She learned from him as a lover, not caring how he threatened to kill her when she woke up out of the coma.
All of this has June, Bette, Oren and Co. struggling inside because, at times, they feel like this is the way to go, which continues the vicious cycle of abuse. This sort of bullying creates the new generation of monsters, with Monique taking it even further, allowing men at the Michi Beach Club to prey on ballerinas in exchange for donations, going as far as threatening Neveah's career if she's exposed for sexual assaults and terminated pregnancies.
But apart from her and Ramon, there's also Topher, a gay ballet master, who Shane chides for not supporting him. Shane is looking for solidarity as Topher's married to Wrench (the school's medical chief). But Topher has no intentions of helping out a gay student, even though he was in that same position. Part of him is scared, but he also feels like a tough upbringing helps such students. Shane makes it clear it's cowardice because this isn't always the case, leaving Wrench as the only good faculty member the kids can turn to.