He maltreats the villagers by taking advantage of the women and by openly abusing the others. From a historical perspective, this event is a major one. Spain had become weak from internal conflict and civil war. This war, fought to determine the next ascendant to the throne, hurt Spain greatly. As the peasants of Fuente Ovejuna were able to successfully murder Commander Fernán Gómez, one could see how the event symbolically illustrates the weakness of the kingdom.
Also deteriorating was the system of feudalism. Although vassals owned lands distributed to them by lords in exchange for service, one can see that the true power of rule lies with the people. When the people are unsatisfied with the way things are run, they are able to voice their opinions through revolution. It is necessary to note that many peasant rebellions are revolutionary. The upper classes of society may opt for reforms instead because of their already existing high social statuses. They are comfortable where they are and do not wish to give up their high-ranking positions. An open revolution would destroy all that the upper-class have. Peasants, on the other hand, were sharecroppers at best. Revolution would certainly not hurt them as much, economically speaking. Peasants very much want rights, privileges, and upward