Okay, I misspoke when I entitled this thread. Of course it is not categorically true that people with money always disdain people without money. Only someone with very distorted thinking would actually believe that.

I'm glad my sister has whatever she has. She is neither bad, nor selfish. But she has expressed that she thinks less of some people who she doesn't see as materially successful. She has explicitly said to me, "I have to wonder what's wrong with people who don't get ahead financially." She and her husband refer to some of their neighbors as "local yokels" because they "have nothing to show" for their efforts in life. (Her words, not mine.) It never before occurred to me that she might apply that thinking toward me.

I'm trying to grasp that, from her perspective, my living as I do may be off-putting. It may be that differences in economic status can be an impediment to having a close social connection. She wouldn't be the first human being in history to be influenced in that way. Novels have been written about this. It's been the theme of great films. Wuthering Heights comes to mind. (Cathy rejected Heathcliff and went after Linton because she wanted to marry "up " not "down.") For a long time, it hadn't occurred to me that my not having any money could make my sister withdraw from being involved with me. Then, out of the blue, an insight popped into my mind. It may be that there is a natural tendency for people of means to keep some distance away from people of no means. I can think of a number of reasons why that might be true. I had thought that my bond with my sister transcended such considerations. That may have been foolish of me. My sister's behavior may be governed by values that are less lofty than that.

So I was inviting others to share with me their thoughts on whether or not I may be on to something, in thinking that there is such a dynamic, whereby "haves" may prefer to maintain some distance from "have nots." Is that a shockingly cynical idea?