They also want recognition for being unique and special but they find it in doing things that benefit many not just themselves. This is important because if these people were not doing these things then there would be no sense of shame when we compare ourselves. We would find it perfectly acceptable to just increase our possessions and not give back at all. .
Why do all these people unconsciously want to be like each other? The answer is simple. They want to be just as well off as their neighbor. However, most of them aren't so they must pretend. "To betray or confess the secrets of one's destitution is also regarded in some measure, as a sign of incapacity" (Ewen 193). The problem lies not in money that is apparent but in the power that is unapparent. This is important because the possessions are sought not for their own sake but because they make their owner's power known, albeit silently. The belongings that are amassed seem to be there for pleasure's sake but in truth they are just a display of power. The upsetting factor in all this is the silence. This silent power is also invisible and impenetrable. "It has always been a function of an artist to speak the forbidden, to speak out, especially in times of political repression" (Atwood 34). An artist may speak of his opinions while being repressed but he does not speak of his lack of money when his paintings are not selling. This tells us that people, on the whole, are afraid of being viewed as poor because a lack of wealth is seen as being in line with being incapable. If you consider that being incapable is the complete opposite of being powerful then you realize that this is how many middle class people think. .
"The priority of facades was becoming a characteristic feature of American middle class life" (Ewen 190). These facades seem necessary to lower and middle class people because they are trying to appear wealthy and powerful.