I guess Tally is amazing because she escaped from special circumstances. I think she should feel guilty. She is responsible for the destruction of the smoke.
Self Preservation means being selfish and only caring about what happens to you. It is not the most important thing. I might lie because of it, depending on the situation.
It means that the pretties are only pretty on the outside. On the inside they're just messed up. If I was pretty I wouldn't want to change mentally at all.