Michael Farr described "The Broken Ear" as a "moral condemnation of capitalism, imperialism and war", although felt that it was "not as perfectly constructed" as "The Blue Lotus", being "less detailed and realistic". He thought that the image in which Ramón and Alonso drown in the sea and are dragged to Hell by demons was "truly medieval" and represented the "most fanciful image" in the entire series. He also opined that Hergé's depiction of South American militaries was "full of humour" and that the detail was "generally very accurate".