@Wendz - I think its more about attitude and ego. One can be in the highest of classes and still treat everyone else as human beings....in a post about the Juja and other by elections, I think it was SimonKabz who made a comparison between Kabogo and whathisname of CitiHoppa - that Kabogo will sit down with the people and have a beer....etc etc.
In the same breadth, I have always admired poor people who are never ashamed of their stations in life and walk proud and stand tall.
Having said that, I recall Maslow's hierarchy of needs (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow's_hierarchy_of_needs) - think of all the people you know personally and those we hear about like politicians, etc...try and think where they belong in Maslow's Pyramid....
I personally find that even the most affluent people, as long as they have big egos and poor attitudes, can never self actualise (top of the pyramid) and remain very petty despite having met their basic needs. They are miserly bastards that look down upon the rest. On the other hand, you have people of modest means who are content with what they have and want no more than they need - it could be a teacher, a cleaner, a doctor, (a lawyer? no scratch that
), etc but they have esteem and can self actualise in small but very impactful ways.
Having said that, its true - sometimes the affluent look down upon the rest - and what is worse is when they themselves had humble beginnings.
My two pesetas on a Friday...