"What a row. A handful of idiots, hitting, strangling and crushing to protect their fateful authority over the people."

The excerpt describes escalating violence and brutality by those in power who seek to maintain their control over the populace. These officials are portrayed as monsters driven by immoral instincts and destructive impulses, acting out of lust and cruelty under the guise of authority. The passage also notes how such oppressive actions corrupt society as a whole, with revenge, poison, and degeneracy spreading among both the oppressors and the oppressed. Ultimately, this cycle of violence corrupts and spoils the entire community.