"El Lazarillo de Tormes" was written during the Spanish Golden Age, a period of great cultural, artistic, and literary flourishing in Spain. The novel reflects the social and economic changes taking place in 16th-century Spain, particularly the rise of a new middle class and the decline of the nobility. The text also critiques the Catholic Church and the clergy, which was a bold move given the powerful role of the Church in Spanish society. The anonymity of the author has been interpreted as a way to avoid persecution, underscoring the potentially subversive nature of the work.