Tvrdica - Rodoljupci

Tvrdica "Tvrdica" is a character comedy in which Sterija mocks human stinginess. The main character is Kir Janja, a sickly stingy merchant who saves on everything - on food, clothes, servants, even his own household. His obsession with hoarding money and fear of spending lead to a series of comical, but also sad situations. Janja is surrounded by people who suffer because of his stinginess, and most often the servants and family suffer. Sterija shows how a stingy man gradually loses all human relationships and how money, instead of bringing him security, becomes the cause of his downfall. The comedy ends with Janja's stinginess being exposed, and those around him abandoning or opposing him, leaving the message that greed is spiritual destruction.

Rodoljupci "Rodoljupci" is a political satire in which Sterija ridicules the false patriotism and hypocrisy of the bourgeois class during the Serbian uprising and political turmoil of the 19th century. The plot shows a group of people who present themselves as great patriots, but their real intentions are selfish: they want positions, power, influence or material gain. "Patriots" talk big about their homeland, but avoid any real sacrifice or danger. Through comic scenes and caricatured characters (petty officials, political brokers, "guardians of the people" only on paper), Steria reveals how patriotism is easily transformed into a mask for one's own interests. The ending reveals the complete vanity of these "heroes", while true patriots remain in the background, silent and unobtrusive.