This is why Balzac is one of Marx's favs, in one of the Lost Illusion series Lucien can't afford a fashionable suit and doesn't make a good impression with high society he seeks a career in. Suits are expensive yo, like 200 at a discount store then throw on shoes, even at Shein you're looking at 60 dollars. If you've been unemployed for a while, its difficult for people to understand you may have a 0 in your back account and no one to depend on, for me this is the default.

A year ago or so I had to go to an interview for a 16/hr position (ngl would be the highest earning position I've ever had, lab work is straight min wage and high competition) requiring a suit, and it's been a long minute since I've worn one (grandma's funeral) so I went, didn't realize how much weight I've lost, so the suit was 2 sizes too large, missing buttons etc. Then I didn't realize the location was farther than anticipated with low gas and my antique but reliable vehicle. When I got there I was a larger ball of nerves and rando interns about half my age loled at my poor presentation and made comments, interview ended in all about 3 seconds and I know my poor presentation didn't help along with this being a rather rural and therefore bigoted by default sort area.

I don't have relatives etc I can hit up for this sort of thing, never did, never will, petite bourgeois can't understand poverty, reminds me of one of my grad school rejection letters suggesting I backpack EU or similar when my ass drove 1k mi to that interview. A lot of the people there didn't understand not having family, friends etc you can just ask for things, my family's worse off than me, sib.

It reminds me how the ignorant and cruel able-bodied treat those who are different as burdens upon them who willed this on others out of inborn level personality flaw, just totally and unwilling unable to comprehend people have different challenges in life that we alone can't face, yet that capitalist alienation and toxic individualism.