Bastia was a society structured around traditional Feudal Nobility, where nobles possessed absolute power. Even if they killed a commoner, at most they would have to pay some money—but who would dare ask for it? Moreover, if there was an excuse for the killing, not only would the death be in vain, but the victim's family might even have to thank the noble lord for not making them pay compensation. And you still had to say thank you!
To modern eyes, such a feudal social structure that shackled productivity seemed utterly unnatural and belonged on the trash heap. Yet, to these common folk, it was seen as truth. Because you weren't nobility, you had to support them. Because we weren't nobility, we were to be oppressed and exploited. This had been the way of things for millennia.
