Idk, I do often wonder what the dragon is. I'm fairly certain that the crowns represent ego - there's the crowns on the dragon and the crowns that the saints wear, which I think is us, if we're saved. Ego just fits crowns in my mind. A hollow crown is an inflated ego - there's nothing there. To lay down your crown is to die, to have your crown returned is to be resurrected. But... I avoid that book!