One of the problems that the feudal system solved was the issue of food and protection for the poor. When the lords of the manor needed farmers to work their land, the poor would be employed by the lord, or turned into serfs. Then when they worked the land for their lord, they got a share of the crops or a portion of the land to farm themselves. If they turned into serfs, they would be passed along with the land, and they would get assured protection and food in times of famine or war. However, some serfs became angered when they and the land that they came with were passed off to an unusually cruel lord or lady. But without a way to voice their opinions, the serfs simply had to live with the circumstances they were given.