# What Class, Money, and Social Status means in The Getting of Wisdom

> Laura's family's relative poverty and her mother's unconventional taste in dress mark her as an outsider among wealthier classmates, leading to constant mortification and the need for subterfuge to hide her financial limitations.

## Explanation

Laura's family's relative poverty and her mother's unconventional taste in dress mark her as an outsider among wealthier classmates, leading to constant mortification and the need for subterfuge to hide her financial limitations.

Laura's mother is perceived as 'stuck-up,' and Laura feels her clothes are not what they ought to be, highlighting class consciousness.

The chapter highlights class distinctions among the students, from the daughters of poor ministers to wealthy heiresses, and Laura's sense of inferiority.

Laura's poverty and small allowance force her into 'countless small subterfuges,' while Tilly's wealth highlights the class divide.

Laura's fear of being exposed as the daughter of a working mother highlights the intense social stigma attached to trade and women's labor.

## Links

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- All concepts: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_getting_of_wisdom_se/concepts