Class distinctions come into sharp focus at the inn.
The captive and Zoraida, who are nobles motivated only by the loftiest
intentions, succeed in their crazy scheme to get back to Spain.
The lower-class characters, on the other hand, become embroiled
in various skirmishes. The innkeeper is forced to squabble with
two guests over payment for the night’s lodgings, while Sancho and
the traveling barber brawl over a harness. The wickedness of the
innkeeper’s daughter contrasts sharply with the goodness of Clara,
the noble judge’s daughter, highlighting the difference in their
social station. Even Don Quixote preserves the standards of his
day, upholding the virtues of the aristocrats and condemning the
insolence of the poor. He finds Sancho’s impertinence unbearable
when it seems to impinge upon his sense of nobility.
