A basic overview of This Earth of Mankind’s distinct social classes is necessary for the reader to grasp the unique milieu that defines the decisions and actions of the characters. In particular, while members of the upper class possess an almost divine ability to move about and make uninhibited decisions that affect the lower classes, the potential of citizens in the lower classes is strictly limited. As one’s caste is set by birth and legally reinforced by the established Dutch legal system, Pramoedya Ananta Toer makes it clear that escaping the boundaries of class is an impossibility. This tiered society keeps accurate, perpetual records of the births of children who belong to the two upper castes.

As a long-time colony of the Netherlands, the upper class of Java comprises the “Pure-Bloods”—individuals whose parents are of European descent. Legally, these fair-skinned people are both Dutch and Javanese citizens. The Pure-Bloods descend from the colonial conquerors of Indonesia, meaning the economic and legal world revolves around them. Since the Dutch began their conquest of Indonesia in the 17th Century, eventually naming it the Netherlands East Indies, it was inevitable that a biological group of multiracial citizens would emerge. In the novel, they are typically referred to as Indo, Indisch, or Mixed-Blood.