... proletarianism is a state of feeling rather than a matter of outward circumstance... The true hall-mark of the proletarian is neither poverty nor humble birth but a consciousness--and the resentment that this consciousness inspires--of being disinherited from his ancestral place in society.
But a world gorged with the wealth ground out by the magic industrial machine is at the same time overshadowed by the spectre of unemployment. Every time the urban proletarian draws his 'dole' he is reminded that he is 'in' a society but not 'of' it.
These excerpts can be found in context on pages 377 and 397-398 at this link.
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