Looking at the Salidar Six, and Siuan and Leanne post stilling, even a 2-3 level difference doesn't seem to account for much in day to day interactions. It only seems to come into play when decisions need to be made. There, like with Merana and Verin, the instinct is to defer, even if the only thing separating you is age. But Merana's comments on Verin also show something: you can get away with a lot, even when the difference is larger, like between Verin and Bera and Kiruna.