José Rizal's Noli Me Tangere presents a devastating portrait of colonial corruption and institutional hypocrisy in 19th-century Philippines, revealing how Spanish colonial institutions systematically betray their stated missions while maintaining power through exploitation and violence. The novel demonstrates that these corruptions are not aberrations but essential features of colonial rule, making reform within such systems fundamentally impossible.

The Catholic Church, which claims spiritual and moral authority over Filipino society, emerges as the primary site of hypocrisy in the novel. Priests who preach Christian virtue engage in behavior that directly contradicts their teachings. Father Salví fathers an illegitimate child while maintaining his position of religious authority, and the blond-haired toddler calling him "papá" at the festival exposes what everyone knows but cannot officially acknowledge. Father Dámaso's sexual violation of Doña Pía, producing María Clara, demonstrates how priests...