Georges Dandin is a wealthy bourgeois who marries the daughter of a minor provincial noble. In this marriage, he gains a title of nobility, and his wife's parents gain the opportunity to pay off their debts and improve their financial situation.

This union is unnatural because the spouses belong to two completely different worlds, with different habits and different principles. It is impossible for them to communicate with each other because they do not understand one another.

What is natural and lawful for one is an offense and immorality for the other. This lack of understanding awakens feelings of resentment and revenge in both spouses, stemming from the awareness that they belong to two different classes.