Also I have to find a way for some detail of Danny's family backstory to tie into the thing Matt is solving as an inspiration, like a "right, Barrayarans are fucking backwards! got it" moment or something, so I can have an excuse to insert that backstory. Maybe what constitutes a mutant at different classes--Danny's family kept his sister, whereas Harriet's mother-in-law killed her daughter.

Possibly a bit too stereotypical for this purpose, but how about urban vs. rural? The urban may have more options, while the rural poor don't.