This brought to light much of what was causing problems among the peasants and those in higher positions. If it weren't for the huge gap between the farmers and the few men in charge, there would be very few problems for repairmen like Musui, who might have found a better way to live his life. I think you have tasked this book with showing us what it was like to live during that time and that the samurai code of honor was not respected as much as one might have thought, as well as how difficult it was to live in a poor environment. govern the state. It worked well as a teaching tool because it contained many examples of why things were as bad as they were for people in Japan in the Edo era. I also learned that Japan was going through a very confusing time, I say this because there aren't many places that will have jobs for people who literally do nothing at almost any time of the year. This was one of the reasons why things were quite crazy for the peasants, they had so many people to deal with who had an over glorified title and who would eventually take what they wanted, even if this was not their way of life as farmers.