Under the feudal system, the people occupying the land were considered property of the feudal lord and as such had to obey their ruler.
But what choices one had to pursue independence? And I don't mean joining the clergy or becoming an outlaw.
What could someone do to become independent, break free from serfdom and acquire social status?
That really isn't how feudalism worked, assuming that the "feudal system" as envisaged by popular history ever existed at all. I'd recommend reading this excellent summary of current historiography around the use of "feudalism". Tenant relationships with the peasant classes did not constitute the ownership of people as property; they were a mutable series of negotiated obligations and responsibilities by both parties, predicated on acts of vassalage or homage. Freeman peasantry constituted a small, but significant proportion of the peasantry. Vassalage was also frequently commuted by moving to a city.