Shallow vs. Deep cloning

gistfile1.cs

		// The GameObject prefab assigned in the editor before playing the game.
		GameObject somePrefab;

		void Start() {
			// --- Deep Clone ---
			// Instantiate a new instance of somePrefab, and asign the reference of it to the instantiatedPrefab variable.
			// The Instantiate() method returns an Object, instead of a GameObject, so we have to convert it to a GameObject by putting (GameObject) before it.
			GameObject instantiatedPrefab = (GameObject)Instantiate(somePrefab);

			// --- Shallow Clone ---
			// Here we make another variable called instantiatedPrefabReference that points to the same instance defined by instantiatedPrefab.
			GameObject instantiatedPrefabReference = instantiatedPrefab;
			// So doing this:
			instantiatedPrefab.tag = "exampleTag";
			// Is the same as doing this:
			instantiatedPrefabReference.tag = "exampleTag";
			// But doing this:
			somePrefab.tag = "originalTag";
			// will NOT change instantiatedPrefab's tag or instantiatedPrefabReference's tag.

			// To prove it, let's print them in the console after changing them:
			Debug.Log("instantiatedPrefab's tag is "+instantiatedPrefab.tag);
			Debug.Log("instantiatedPrefabReference's tag is "+instantiatedPrefabReference.tag);
			Debug.Log("somePrefab's tag is "+somePrefab.tag);
		}