You can say that so long as it's not your character. I think there are some adventurers on BT that may be a bit angry at a certain infiltrator who stabs every one of them he encounters just because he can get away with it.
Excellent! That's how enemies are made. Imagine when one of those manages to become a noble...
If a noble decides to stand up for a commoner, and is prepared to face the consequences,
"Standing up for" is not the question. You can even like those peasants. But even the thought that they are of the same kind as you is alien to people of that age. That's like saying men and women are equal - in 1700. Or that whites and blacks are equal in 1800. People would look at you and try to find out if you are insane or just failed horribly at making a joke. The thought that you're serious would cross their mind last.
It's a bit difficult for us to understand. Try to see peasants as animals. Sure you can be for animal rights, and against harming them, but very few animal rights activists actually say that animals are
equal to humans. On the contrary, many of those defending them are more or less secretly believing very strongly in the difference, because the are acting protectively - in the matter you act towards subordinates or children, not in the matter you'd act towards equals.
If another noble kicked my best hunting dog for no good reason my noble would likely be annoyed; not necessarily because the dog is in pain but because it's my bloody dog and if anyone is going to kick it it should be me.
Excellent summary.
