Mr Puntila and his man Matti

Land-owner Puntila is unhappy with his lot because his power and his riches have left him lonely and isolated. That is why he gets drunk and, in his inebriation, showers his workers with affection and promises of better working conditions. He wants his labourer Matti, a “good man”, to marry his daughter Eva, not some influential attaché. But then the next morning inevitably brings sobriety and all vows are forgotten – the domineering nature of the capitalist classes rules once more.  

Bertolt Brecht’s comedy "Herr Puntila und sein Knecht Matti" illustrates the futility of believing in a “kind capitalist’s” ability to reform. How long should we wait for a better world created by the kindness of the powerful? From which point on should those who sustain the system through the work of their own hands take charge of their own well-being? In the end, Brecht asks: Who fights against whom – who exploits whom – and, above all: Who will prevail against whom?