I don't think people want more wealth than their neighbor to feel superior but to feel secure and respected. Our survival rests on the resources we have, and our daily lives are predicated upon having enough without worrying about becoming homeless, sick without remedy, or suddenly losing income. Financial insecurity is a form of trauma when you know your survival depends on it. To some degree we are "poor" relative to neighbors, but the more critical kind of poverty is the variety that keeps you constantly struggling for life's basics: housing, transportation, food, honest work, & opportunity. You said it best--when you grew up, you weren't "comfortable."