House of the Seven Gables

A few questions on Hawthorne:

• What is the significance of the names of the characters (as well as the families they belong to) in relation to their actions and characters?
• What does the novel seem to say about time and the passage of time (especially in relation to the house)?
• There seems to be a point being made in the lives of the characters about the effect of Grief and sadness. What does the novel seem to say about the benefits/detriments of this on people's lives/characters?