There are many features that make People Will Talk worth discussing with medical students. The medical paternalism (evident in the variety of ways Praetorius deceives patients) reveals a type of medical practice that most students will find morally troublesome; these acts of paternalism are presented in the film as simply an aspect of Praetorius's humanity.

Praetorius also transgresses many standard moral beliefs concerning the dating of patients and physicians as well as that of students and professors, but it is difficult to determine how the filmmakers wish their audience to judge these events. An important aspect of this film is in the manner it portrays Praetorius as a medical reformer, challenging the technologically-oriented, inhuman treatment of patients.

At the beginning of the film, Praetorius is seen lecturing eager medical students at an anatomy lab that the cadaver is not a "human being." The audience also watches as Praetorius goes on his rounds informing the health care professionals at his clinic that patients come first before money and hospital routines. In such scenes, the film represents a classic instance of the genre of the lone compassionate physician against an uncaring institution.