By what right does the wolf judge the lion?

The line frames a challenge to moral or political judgment as a matter of status and power: the “wolf” (a lesser or rival predator) is portrayed as lacking standing to condemn the “lion” (the dominant ruler). In Martin’s world, animal sigils often stand in for houses and their claims to legitimacy; the phrasing evokes feudal hierarchies where authority is asserted as inherent rather than earned. Read this way, the quote exposes how appeals to “right” can be rhetorical weapons—used to silence criticism by implying that only the powerful may judge the powerful. It also invites skepticism: if judgment depends on rank, justice becomes indistinguishable from dominance.