I think as inequality grows, petty bourgeois elements are going to become very volatile. A few will become class traitors when they realize that they can never join the transnational bourgeois that dominates the empire, and more will become reactionary Hitlerites who blame the Jews for globalism, but the era of temporarily embarrassed millionaires is coming to an end.

A particular flash point will be with landlords. Restaurant owners have to give up most of their profits to their landlord just to keep the restaurant open, and that can align them with other renters. Then there’s the banks, because the ones who manage to buy their home and storefront had to take on a ton of debt to do so, which aligns them with other debtors.

They’re not to be trusted, but I think we’re going to see interesting ruptures among them as a class.