I've really been thinking about what you pointed out with wealthier families being more "polite" but passive aggressive. I've also noticed that this stands true even for families that are not actually wealthy, but just snobby. I have had friends and family openly horrified of how my family interacts with each other. We roast each other, are totally open, and don't hesitate to fight. That said, when we are together, we are ourselves and have a great time too.

I've seen the other side where it's been the norm in some families just to have a ton of underlying tension that nobody ever talks about, with tons of festering wounds and the families (almost) openly can't stand being around each other because of the lack of communication. I've also seen in those situations that they aren't ever really themselves.

I wonder if that comes down to trying to save face at all based on class roles? Very thought provoking. Thanks for the great article!