There are a dozen people staying in this lodging house: three sortition delegates, eight itinerant workers, and one servant here in the city for a few weeks on an errand for his boss. They have been living together for a little over a week now, and getting along well– united by all speaking Sirmium-regional-peasant-dialect and all complaining about how terrible the city is and how they wish they were back home. 

They have been getting along well, but today there's an argument. Alejandro and Jordi show up drunk on cheap wine, with some pamphlets they demand Carlos read. 

Half the house wants to find a crowd and try their luck at a manor. Jordi says other people have the manors handled and they should break into his boss' office because there's debt records to burn and proper silver coins in the safe and the boss usually works late so he might be there to put on a lamppost. Marcus thinks it's all too dangerous and wants to block the doors and stay here until morning, and he's got a few others who like that idea.

Hence the argument.