Name one of the ways in which a serf could "escape" the hardships of his life.

Serfs were the low-standing part of the society, peasants that were slaved in feudalism, and debt-bound workers. They were bought and sold, and the law proclaimed they had to go with the land they worked on.

One of the ways to escape this kind of life was by joining the army. This finally released him of his previous duties and debts, changing his status and making him a part of a distinct social class of military workers. Soldiers had legal rights, unlike serfs, they had the law to protect their ability to defend themselves, and their own civic identity.