The ASP engine reads line-by-line.  If it encounters a call to a function or an object that is in an include file before it includes the file, then it won't be able to find the object or function.  Ex:

 

<!--#include "whatever.asp"-->

set something = new somethingorother

 

This will work when somethingorother is defined in whatever.asp.  However, this:

 

set something = new somethingorother

<!--#include "whatever.asp"-->

 

will not work because you're trying to create a new something of type somethingorother, but somethingorother hasn't been defined because the file hasn't been included yet.