The story is a satire on …

The author has used the device of irony in order to highlight the satire on the conceit of those who are in power. The king is portrayed as an extremely conceited person from the very beginning of the lesson. A ten-day-old infant pronounces the words 'Let tigers beware!' and challenges to prove the prediction made by the State astrologer wrong. His killing of more than seventy tigers within a period of ten years ,bringing the entire species close to extinction and marrying  a royal princess, just for the sake of his convenience of killing more tigers in her father's kingdom, exercising his authority to punish or levy tax on people, flaunting his richness by sending about fifty expensive diamond rings to the British officer's wife and spending three lakh rupees on the jewelry,  show his conceit. He does nothing for the sake of the people in the capacity of a king.

With reference to the lesson, yes, we can say that the people in power to take advantage of their status and hence the people under their influence suffer. The less influential or the common people cannot raise their voice against the injustice meted out to them just like the king's minions.