The shepherd and the widow were persons from the margins of the social mainstream. Maybe that not exactly true, for the majority of the people at the time of Jesus were on the away margins from the power systems of religion and governance. But, suffice it to say, that the main characters of the two parables were not power people in their community.
The shepherd provided a necessary service for the community -- even a very smelly and unpleasant service, and the widow was dependent upon her son's generosity (or the charity of her community) for her well-being. I guess that it would not have been too hard for the people hearing the parables (not the religious leaders) to identify with the shepherd and the widow. Or, would they?
The religious leaders hearing these parables would have been threatened or befuddled by the messages.
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