 It serves to contrast the "old-fashioned" Republican values assigned to Germanicus, and the imperial values possessed by Tiberius.The mood of the masses is a recurring theme, with their reactions to the fortunes of Germanicus being a prominent feature of the relationship between him and Tiberius well into the "Annals" (as far as "Annals" 3.19).Suetonius was an equestrian who held administrative posts during the reigns of Trajan and Hadrian.