ABSTRACT
No person studied in this group lacked class consciousness. Whether it is as true today as in 1880 or 1940 or not, for these subjects growing up poor, each recognized and identified with their own social class, tended to prefer the company of people similar to them than those higher in class, and at least to a great degree much of their behavior represented their own particular backgrounds. The social environment of their times forced them to acknowledge their differences from others, and, as we shall see, for many their very success or fame was in conflict with their class background.
