User blog comment:TheNewProtagonist/Beware, Winter Schnee speculation is coming.../@comment-25641997-20140818235949

That is a very, very interesting theory! I never considered the possibility that Winter and Weiss might be put at odds because Winter wanted to break free of her family's iron fist and find her own path in life. Personally, I'm positive that Weiss chose to be a Huntress herself and find her own path, despite her devotion to her family. She was described as a rebel by Monty, and despite having an immense respect for authority, she never hesitates to speak out against the powers that be if she disagrees with their decisions. Episode 10 is a perfect example: Weiss went so far as to accuse Ozpin of making a mistake and snapping at Peter Port, despite respecting the latter and probably the former. She's not inclined to follow orders she doesn't agree with and is willing to call people out for their crap, no matter who they are.

As for Winter, I really have no idea. There are so many possibilities and not enough clues. However, there has been one theory that's been growing on me: The possibility of Winter being a faunus. I saw the theory posed by multiple users, and although at first I was skeptical, it would provide a perfect reason for Weiss and her sister to be so distant. That reason is their differing views on the faunus themselves. Perhaps Weiss' prejudice interfered with her relationship with her sister and the two grew to dislike each other. Weiss' father is most likely the disapproving family member, so maybe the conflict between her and her sister is different. Maybe they started out with a true, sisterly bond, but their personal beliefs created a rift between them as they got older. They could both be rebels in their own way.

Honestly, I think there are other, more likely theories out there, but Winter being a faunus isn't impossible. The fact that Winter is in Atlas with her father makes me think that she is loyal to the family just as Weiss is, maybe even more so (and I think she'd be human in that scenario), but she could just be confined there because the Schnees don't want the world to know that they have a faunus child.