Moral codes and values are deeply rooted in and largely inseparable from the social personality of a society's members. I suggest, and it is a central suggestion of this monograph, that these codes and values, a part of culture, are among the principal organizing agents in a social collectivity. They are essential to the definition of morally acceptable, understandable and, thus, legitimate social life. Because they are part of a collective conscience, moral codes exert a constant pressure on social formations to conform to their precepts – to the extent external circumstances permit.

Elgeta's concentric system of social organization has been described (Chapter 8) with reference to a set of moral categories which the villagers felt defined proper human beings. While some of the content of the categories – chivatos, anti-Basque, etc. – was a specific response to the situation which prevailed at the time of my fieldwork, I believe the system itself was a variation of a structural pattern through which the villagers have traditionally sought to conduct their affairs.

The main theme of this chapter is the circumstances in which the moral categories held by the villagers became manifested in political life. I shall suggest that the circumstances involved were those which opened choice. Within this context I shall also try to show why, when the villagers finally were able to exercise choice, overwhelmingly they chose Basque nationalism.