don't forget poverty in the 1920s is way different than poverty in 2014.

getting the basic needs like shelter, food, water, heat are a lot easier to come by these days (many government services). And many of the poor have TVs (cable even), cell phones, cars, etc.

my point isn't that being poor is no big deal... my point is the rich AND poor both have it better off than they a hundred years ago.

As I (vaguely) recall, PG made a similar point in Hackers and Painters.