How were peasants and the poor people treated in their daily lives? Did they have rights, freedom of religion, etc., or were they viewed as horrible people?
Slightly off topic: I'm only familiar with the time and place of Jesus, which is first century Palestinian Jews. Marcus Aurelius is second century.
My sources say that about half the population was completely destitute, i.e., looking for their next meal. No rights, no freedoms, treated like dirt by the occupying Romans. The professor actually explicitly compared the Romans to the Nazis in the Romans' treatment of the Palestinian Jews (who were troublemakers). The other half of the population was merely poor. Then there was the top maybe 5% elites who had the luxurious lifestyle we traditionally associate with Romans.
Also, another history prof has told me that the HBO series Rome is not too terribly inaccurate in its portrayal of everyday Roman life (that was around the time of Christ, I believe).