Robinson Crusoe is the protagonist of Daniel Defoe's novel of the same name (1719).
In this particular excerpt, Crusoe describes his pets and their habits. His parrot Poll is the only one who talks to him, his dog always sits at his right hand, and the two cats sit on the two opposite sides of the table. The way he talks about his pets indicates that he is preoccupied with mastery. This is evident because his dog is always beside him, which is Crusoe's way to establish authority and have everything under control. He is the dog's master, and the dog must obey him.
