"We set the town on fire and burned down every house as a warning to other small towns along the river"

This quote by Knute Nelson is an alerting to other villages along the river. It recommends that if they do not heed his caution, they will suffer the same fate as the town he and his group set on fire. The quote indicates that the town was ruined as a kind of penalty for not following his orders. It likewise suggests that he and his group had the power to do this, which they were willing to use it to make a point. The quote is a plain tip of the repercussions of not following orders, and a warning to other towns to not make the very same mistake. It is a reminder that even villages can be subject to the power of those in authority, and that they need to beware of their warnings.