Honor and Convention versus Trickery and Innovation

At the end of the novel, Don Blas says that he would rather not be part of a world where the end justifies the means and no importance is placed on honor if it stands in the way of the end. Much of this novel can be viewed in terms of tradition versus expediency, or honor versus duplicity.

At polar opposites on this issue are the characters Don Blas and Miguel Bautista. To Don Blas, honor is everything. He is honest in all situations, no matter the costs. To Miguel Bautista, honor is a laughable concept. All he cares about are self-interests.

But viewing these two opposites may not be the best way to understand the concept of honor versus expediency. By viewing these two characters as examples, one can over-simplify honor as good and all else as bad or even evil...