James fenimore cooper wrote the leatherstocking tales.

Algernon holds his servant to an unreasonable standard because he expects the lower classes to be good examples for the upper class.

In the excerpt Algernon says, "if the lower orders don't set us a good example, what on earth is the use of them? They seem as a class, to have absolutely no sense of moral responsibility." In the quote, Algernon shows that he is expecting Lane, who is of a lower class, to show him how he is supposed to live. He is clearly stating that the lower class should have a high set of morals to which the upper class can use as an example of how to live.