In the malthouse scene, Thomas Hardy satirizes class consciousness in the dialogue between the farm workers:
“No, no, now—that’s too much[...] I didn’t say Sir- I’ll take my oath I didn’t say Joseph Poorgrass o’ Weatherbury, Sir- no, no, what’s right is right, and I never said Sir to the bird, knowing very well that no person of a gentlemen’s rank would be hollering there at that time o’ night. ‘Joseph Poorgrass of Weatherbury,’ that’s every word I said…”
Joseph Poorgrass, one of the laborers, becomes the subject of good-natured teasing from the group for his shyness and timidity. Someone recounts the story of how once, lost in a forest, Joseph called out for help. An owl called back (“whoo, whoo”). Overexcited and mistaking him for help, Joseph allegedly called out “Joseph Poorgrass o’ Weatherbury, Sir!,” thereby addressing the owl with an honorific.
This story brings a sudden “brazen courage” out of Joseph, who hurries to correct the record (“I didn’t say Sir”). Notice how he stresses that, while he may have introduced himself to the owl, there is no way he would have called him “Sir” because he would never be gullible enough to believe a gentleman would be in the forest at that time of night.
The act of deference to the owl is more important here than actually talking to him at all. Joseph is so caught up—as they all are—in his swift, jumpy moment of social deference that its ultimate purpose almost becomes secondary. What’s more, Joseph’s defense (that he would never think someone of rank could be in the forest) is as silly as his behavior. Instead of coming off as cool and knowledgeable, he comes across as even more deferential, as if he is careful to keep track of exactly when and where he might observe social niceties. Hardy is using Joseph’s silly mistake, and his fastidious backtracking, to poke fun at the importance given to class distinction. Both Joseph's mistake and the correction are as frivolous as the differences they highlight.
