People don't like to live below their means in the US. Consumerism

Background: I live in a working class duplex neighborhood, adjacent to newer lakeside mansions. Few neighbors have any college education; the majority don't pay taxes (if any, net). My community is mostly pleasant, but I definitely wouldn't raise a family here (mostly single moms and blue collar workers).

Yesterday among the poorest of neighbors said to me "I'm just trying to live a simple middle class life" — and I chuckled (rudely)... then responded "I'm among the wealthier people living on this street, and I'm not even middle class anymore — and we both still rent."

We're two tenants literally scrubbing out a former smoker tenant's filth, for rent credit, so that the next working class tenant can pay this distant slumlord more Rent. Yeah, we're rich... /s