This lecture covers the concept and importance of pull-up and pull-down resistors in microcontrollers, focusing on their implementation in AVR and MSP430. It explains the behavior of an unconnected input, the role of resistors in avoiding floating inputs, and the integration of pull-up and pull-down resistors in microcontrollers. The instructor provides examples of enabling pull-up and pull-down resistors in AVR and MSP430, as well as practical code examples using these resistors in a microcontroller circuit.