Inequality itself is a strong sign of collapse. Near collapse you always see local maxima, a sort of unbalance. In this case a minority keeps using their gains to attain gains faster by cannibalizing the system. Normally such gains would be reinvested into the system, what is good for you is good for the entire community, but these days it's all a big zero-sum game. If a few people win, millions lose. It does not trickle down as they say.