From Riches to Rags

The extravagant opulence of the past era had gone - everything was becoming bare and simple, and the world (America in particular) was sinking into a mood of depression - the great depression. Everything changed almost overnight, and now many who were seeking leisure and fun before were now seeking jobs, just to get by. The Wall Street Crash opened up a huge contrast in classes - the poor were now extremely poor, and the rich, extremely rich, with no middle man in between.

(Source:typepad.com)

As with many examples of poor humanity, the rich were still spending on lavish items as they did in the 20's with no second thought to the struggle of others. They could afford to keep servants and have multiple huge houses in different countries, spending money in the most expensive boutiques to keep them in the lap of luxury whilst the poor suffered. Some families of 8 or more would only be able to afford one room with no sanitary items such as the bare minimum of running water.