It is one of the two most comprehensive witnesses to the Roman novel (the only other being the extant Metamorphoses of Apuleius, that has significant differences in style and plot). Satyricon is also as useful evidence for the reconstruction of how lower classes lived during the early Roman Empire. The work is described by its leading figure, Encolpius, a professor of rhetoric (and thus means to political power) to affluent Roman boys. The surviving segments of the novel begin with Encolpius traveling with a friend and former lover named Ascyltos, who has met Encolpius on numerous escapades. Encolpius's slave boy, Giton, is at his owner's lodging when the story begins. Giton is consistently called "frater" ("brother") by Encolpius all over the novel, thereby indicating that, notwithstanding the fact that he was the slave and property of Encolpius, he had a leveled relationship with his owner. Since their relationship involved consensual sex and could be ended by both sides, we can see the two as a friendly unit that is very comparable to a modern understanding of a romantic couple.