Class and People Like Us...

This quote has a lot of meanings in it. I think the quote means that what a man does reflects his character and values and what he's all about and believes in. His actions and what he does depends on his circumstances. This means his actions are defined through what is around him being his circumstances. Ex) Where he lives. How much money he makes. His morals/values. These are all circumstances that define people's actions. "The characteristics that ruin a man in one class made him eminent in another." This means that issues that bring down a man in one class, will make him flourish in another. When comparing the idea of an aggressive real estate agent vs. an aggressive sanitation worker, the qualities of each are way different. The qualities of a real estate agent are that they want to get as much money as possible through houses, where as a sanitation worker needs to clean businesses to get enough money to survive. This has to do with certain classes too. The real estate agent is at a higher class, whereas the sanitation worker is at the poor class.