Because Chaucer included such a wide array of pilgrims in the Prologue of The Canterbury Tales, it is difficult to make a general statement that applies to every single person. It is, however, possible to note a couple of traits that apply to most of the pilgrims, even if there are a few exceptions. First and foremost, it is clear that the vast majority of the religious pilgrims are either corrupt or lack true religious convictions. The Pardoner, for example, takes advantage of poor parish priests through "double talk and tricks," convincing them to buy religious relics of extremely questionable origin. The Monk, similarly, uses his position enrich himself, exchanging religious services for money or gifts. The Monk, the narrator notes, "was an easy man in giving shrift, when sure of getting a substantial gift." With few exceptions (the notes at the end of the chapter notes that the Knight, Parson, and Ploughman are the only exemplary pilgrims), the pilgrims are generally unlikeable and immoral.
While the speaker gives long descriptions of many of his fellow pilgrims, he does not spend much time speaking about himself. When he remarks that he is describing the other pilgrims "as they appear to him," he is doing a couple of things. First, he is informing the reader that his observations include personal biases; the descriptions are not absolute truth coming from an omniscient narrator but rather are filtered through the lens of a character in the story. Second, the narrator is acknowledging that the descriptions of the pilgrims are based on his brief dealings with them at the beginning of the journey, so while they may accurately reflect the truth of the situation, they may also be flawed. By acknowledging that his descriptions may be subject to some biases, the speaker proves that he is at the very least aware of his potential flaws and might be more careful to avoid them than someone claiming a more extensive understanding. It is also interesting that despite the speaker's seeming reticence to spend much time describing himself, he does state that his own pilgrimage is intended to pay "devout homage" to the "holy blessed martyr" at Canterbury. While the speaker is of course describing himself, at the very least he wants the reader to believe that he is a sincere believer on a personal pilgrimage to pay homage to an important religious figure. If his description of himself reflects the truth, the speaker's sincere religious convictions qualify him to comment on the scruples of the other pilgrims.