Christopher Hayes investigates the influence of the elite that hindered the rising of the middle class and prevented the overturning of capitalistic regime. Hayes explores the concept of meritocracy revealing the issues that prevent equal opportunity for all citizens. Thus, Hayes theorizes that the uprising of the rising middle class may have been unachievable based on the unequal distribution of power and resources that promote the endurance of the elite. Hayes suggests that elite is both a social status that pertains to specific ideological assumptions of this class, alongside with the economic associations of the elite as a social construct embedded in society. Hayes reflects on major historical times that promoted the supremacy of the elite.