The Iron Ring is a triumph of exploration of the customs and values of an ancient culture that is likely to be remote to most of its western readers.

It explores the complexity of dharma, a code of honorable conduct that varies for each caste and for each kind of animal. For instance, a member of the kshatriya—the warrior caste—is expected to conduct himself according to the virtues of forthrightness and courage, whereas a member of thebrahmana—the scholarly, priestly caste—is expected to conduct himself according to the virtues of peace and learned study; on the other hand, the monkeys have their own dharma, which is basically that if something is not nailed down then it is free for the taking.

What all dharma has in common is, as Alexander puts it, "a deep and driving sense of obligation...