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Why does the king of Brobdingnag condemn English society after speaking with Gulliver?

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Illustration of Lemuel Gulliver lying on the ground, tied down by tiny Lilliputians, with crowds and small buildings in the background, from Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels. — Gulliver’s Travels Lemuel Gulliver in Lilliput, illustration from an edition of Jonathan Swift's *Gulliver's Travels*.

In Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels, the king of Brobdingnag condemns English society after Lemuel Gulliver provides a detailed account of his country’s government and history.

The king reacts with contempt to Gulliver’s descriptions, ultimately concluding that the English must be a race of "odious vermin." This judgment is further reinforced when Gulliver offers to share the secrets of creating gunpowder and cannon for the king’s use. The king is horrified by the suggestion of such destructive weaponry, viewing the potential for mass violence as a reflection of the moral failings and inherent greed of Gulliver's civilization.1

Through this encounter, Swift uses the perspective of the giants to mock the political structures, history, and customs of 18th-century England, highlighting the follies and frailties of human society.21