# Class and Social Mobility in Little Caesar

> Theme guide for Little Caesar by W. R. Burnett.

Rico's rise from a poor yegg to a gang leader who dines with the 'Big Boy' illustrates the pursuit of wealth and status, yet his fall shows the limits of upward mobility outside legitimate society.

## Where it surfaces

- [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/little_caesar_se/chapters/part-vi-i): Rico's awe at the Big Boy's apartment and his rapid rise from a lonely yegg to dining with a crime boss highlight the theme of social climbing through criminal means.
- [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/little_caesar_se/chapters/part-vi-iv): Joe's status as a 'dago' and his treatment by police and the Crime Commission highlight class and ethnic prejudices.
- [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/little_caesar_se/chapters/part-vii-iv): Rico's envy of Pavlovsky's success in the beer racket highlights the theme of social mobility through crime, contrasting Rico's current low status with his past prominence.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/little_caesar_se/themes/class_and_social_mobility
- Themes index: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/little_caesar_se/themes