Beat you to it the first time.

I agree with everything (especially the institutionalized racism) except for Cass. She had one incredibly bad run that may have had to do with all this, but when she came into being, she was an emotionally dimensional, extremely physically capable character. Well rounded, well characterized, pretty much well-everything until her horrendous drop.

Other than that, I think you really hit the nail on the head with the stripper thing. What exactly does she expect to learn about humanity from strip clubs? Seriously. I've never understood any story that used that path.