Highs and Lows
Money wasn't a concept that Nate was ever really fond of. Granted, part of that may be from living in the Age of Apocalypse, where you had to fight for what was yours, or trade for what you could get. The idea of using slips of paper (or pieces of plastic) as some kind of intermediary for exchange always struck him as weird. At best, money seemed too arbitrary a way to value something, and at worst, he had seen how far people would go to get more of it. It had seemed more trouble than it was worth.
For the last few days, though, Nate and Terry had been surrounded by money and all it could buy, as they enjoyed the very best of Madripoor. Luxurious hotels, pristine beaches; they were even happy to hit the casinos and relieve people of some of their wealth. It was a fun time...
...until they went exploring and discovered the other side of Madripoor.
There were really only two types of people on the island: The filthy rich, and the people who were paid only pennies (literally, in far too many cases) to work for the rich. Even the Capital city reflected that disparity. The area known as High-Town was filled with the best money could buy, the Prince's Palace being the largest symbol of the wealth that poured through that area. In its shadow, Low-Town was where the poor lived in desperate squalor.
There was no middle class; nothing in between. Only the extremely rich, or extremely poor.
Even with Nate's lack of understanding of economics, the sudden swing in going from High-Town to Low-Town was jarring. He couldn't help but look confused as he looked around this part of the city.
"...the hell?"
For the last few days, though, Nate and Terry had been surrounded by money and all it could buy, as they enjoyed the very best of Madripoor. Luxurious hotels, pristine beaches; they were even happy to hit the casinos and relieve people of some of their wealth. It was a fun time...
...until they went exploring and discovered the other side of Madripoor.
There were really only two types of people on the island: The filthy rich, and the people who were paid only pennies (literally, in far too many cases) to work for the rich. Even the Capital city reflected that disparity. The area known as High-Town was filled with the best money could buy, the Prince's Palace being the largest symbol of the wealth that poured through that area. In its shadow, Low-Town was where the poor lived in desperate squalor.
There was no middle class; nothing in between. Only the extremely rich, or extremely poor.
Even with Nate's lack of understanding of economics, the sudden swing in going from High-Town to Low-Town was jarring. He couldn't help but look confused as he looked around this part of the city.
"...the hell?"