The Marquis of Peñalta (Marta and Maria): A Realistic Social Novel by Armando Palacio Valdes is a story about the lives of two sisters who live in a village in northern Spain. Marta and Maria are bright images of women with different views on the world and different attitudes to social problems. On the one hand, Marta adapts to a conservative society where she loses her individuality, while on the other hand, Maria decides to confront social inequalities and fights for her beliefs. Armando Palacio Valdez's novel helps the reader to better understand social problems and the confrontation between individuality and tradition.