Don Quixote 36-45

"Tell me, sir" said Dorotea, "is this lady Christian or Moorish? Because her clothes and her silence are making us think that she's what we'd prefer her not to be." (Chapter 37 pg352)

This statement made by Dorotea indicates the religious and cultural conflicts that were present in Spain and all over the world during the 17th century. As Christians the characters have a distrust of "Moors" (in other words Muslims or more specifically followers of Islam) and all other religions and those who follow them. However not so drastic as to result in Dorotea and the others disassociating themselves from the captive and Zoraida. As she says they would "prefer" her not to be Muslim but when they discover that she wants to become a Christian, they trust her implicitly. She would probably have less agency than the other women simply because she is not Spanish and she comes from Algeria but they welcome her warmly because of her desire to be Christian. She is described as having "a good mind and a clear and ready understanding" (394). Had she not expressed the desire to be baptized as a Christian, she might have received a less kind welcome.
In any event, the women of the story all get along (and incidentally are all of miraculous beauty, each rivaling the next) and all carry attributes which Don Quixote would expect of all the ladies he had read about in the books of chivalry. They are all also smart and cunning, a characteristic not usually shown in women of the time period. And the male characters are always surprised when the female characters display this intelligence.