Like the Prioress and the Monk, the Friar is a not-so-pious religious figure. But his sins are all the more reprehensible because friars, more than any other religious group, were pledged to a life of poverty. In medieval England, friars could be "licensed" both to beg in particular regions, and to earn money by hearing confessions or administering the sacraments. Since friars were not supposed to own property, these licenses were their only means of supporting themselves. But this situation led to rivalry between friars, who could travel from place to place soliciting donations, and the religious figures like parish priests who also depended upon their communities for donations. It was probably because of this rivalry that a particularly strong "anticlericalism," or collection of stereotypes about religious figures, grew up around friars. It is from this collection of stereotypes that the portrait of the Friar draws.
One of the stereotypes about friars was that they traveled around seducing women, and we see this in the Friar's portrait in spades: we learn that he has "maad many a mariage / of yonge wommen at his owene cost" (General Prologue 212 – 213). The Friar probably does not pay for these women's dowries out of the goodness of his heart; we are likely meant to understand that he must marry off these women to pay for the virginity he has taken from them. Moreover, the Friar keeps his pockets full of baubles (pins and pocket-knives) to give away to young wives and earn their favor.