In the most cynical view, the poor rely on the state for protection, while the rich manipulate it to preserve their power. This dual dependence corrupts governance, as officials pursue wealth for personal security, entrenching inequality. Thus, wealth in politics erodes the state’s integrity.
Victor Davis Hanson’s concept of the mesoi—a stable middle class—offers a counterbalance. It resists domination by either pole, introducing complexity and autonomy into a binary struggle. Neither wholly dependent nor wholly controlling, the mesoi frustrate extremes, embodying a third force that stabilizes society by disrupting the cycle of exploitation.