Equality of opportunity and equality of outcome are both central values of American society.

The United States is now considered a welfare state.

According to Marx, the lumpenproletariat are destined to own the means of production in society.

For most people, poverty simply means not having enough money to buy things that are considered necessary and desirable.

Poverty is almost exclusively an urban phenomenon.

The text points out that the poor do not share the work ethic of the middle class.

Compared with the rest of the population, the poor are less healthy by almost every standard.

Poor people are the most likely to commit crimes that are disapproved of by those who make the laws.

Cultural explanations of poverty are based on the conflict perspective in sociology.

The text observes that training programs for welfare recipients usually lead to long-term employment for trainees.