Code of Nobility

In Don Quixote, Cervantes masterfully exploits the grand irony of Don’s knightly endeavors set against the stark reality of a mundane society in which chivalric virtues and attitudes are unrecognizable, hence laughably peculiar. Analyze several scenes in 2-3 paragraphs in which Don strives to impose or enact a bygone code of nobility with disastrous results. Is Cervantes ultimately suggesting that Don is simply an idealistic madman or that we are the worse for having lost sight of loftier attitudes?
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