The Four Economic Classes and their Respective Plights | Intellectual Detox: # The Underclass Those scraping by at the fringes of economy, often subsisting on crime or welfare.
# The Plebs The interchangeable parts in the machinery of the economy. Because plebs are so easy to replace, they earn low wages and have little job security.
# The Rat-racers Those who have found a career track that offers leverage and rewards inside knowledge. The inside knowledge makes it harder to replace the rat-racer, thus earning them higher salaries. But they must grind out long work hours to maintain their competitive edge.
# The Rentiers Those who have achieved complete economic security. They no longer need to work to live, instead they work for personal fulfillment.