Money does not make you high class. Being rich or poor is definitely a factor in whether or not you are considered high class or not, but not always. Let's look at the Beverly Hillbillies for example, they were a lower class family who came to be millionaires. Yet they were still not accepted by those of a similar economic status as them. They had to learn how to act like those around them, to fit into the social circle of people with money. They way we act about money and around others determines how others judge us and our socio-economic status.
Herbert Gans argues that poverty serves a purpose in our society. The poor fill unwanted jobs, they buy unwanted goods, they keep the affluent afloat economically, they create jobs to service the poor...the list goes on. The poor are continually targeted as the source of crime, economic problems, and social unrest. When all else fails our society tends to use those of lower class as a scapegoat it seems. Keeping the poor oppressed and the amount of affluent people low is a very big advantage to the wealthy. We can hypothesize about what our society would be like if wealth was distributed equally, a utopia of sorts. However, we can concede that this will never happen. Humans are made to want more, to be in control, to fight for power and influence and comfort and happiness. These human instincts are what keep the social structure of today in tact, whether we see that as good or bad.
