Based upon the happenings of this tale, the image of nuns and the church is made obscure, as several key components are dissolved. By taking the priest's breeches, the abbess cross-dresses, which supports the theme of homosexuality, which is against religious beliefs. Apart from this, the abbess's action are deceptive in nature, something which is against the ten commandments. Slowly, throughout the sotry the abbess changes from being a woman of strong, devout faith to a woman of lying and deception, almost that of an anti-religious figure.
Boccaccio tries to show that women are not subjective to a specific brand of a lifestyle. In fact, the men do not always create the trouble for the women. At times, roles can be reversed, thus leaving the woman as the dominant figures within the context of the stories. The fact the women show domination to an extent, is the exact opposite of the roles they are seen in, in texts such as Erec and Enide or Yvain. For example, the women troubling the men by making them think things such as them being falsely preganant show that they have some role of power, while in other tales, a specific example of the reverse is the sparrow-hawk contest in which Enide is made to be an object and nothing more than some petty aid to help Erec win the contest and claim his prize.
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