The Pearl
The pearl
How does the priest treat the townspeople
How does the priest treat the townspeople
The priest's annual sermon warned that man should know his station in life and not try to better himself. This viewpoint allowed corruption to run rampant amongst the pearl buyers and served to keep their prices at a minimum. Of course, the townspeople would stay in poverty and we can surmise that the priest would get some type of kickback in the form of a "donation" to the church.