Final answer:
In 'To Kill a Mockingbird', the motif of social status is shown when Miss Caroline doesn't understand Walter Cunningham's refusal of lunch money, revealing Maycomb's deep social and economic divides.
Step-by-step explanation:
The motif of social status is revealed when Miss Caroline meets Walter Cunningham in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird. The interaction highlights the entrenched social hierarchies and economic disparities of the time. Miss Caroline, new to Maycomb and unaware of its social dynamics, offers Walter Cunningham money to buy lunch, not realizing that his family's poverty means he cannot pay her back. This moment underscores the divide between those like the Cunninghams, who are poor and cannot engage in the same social exchanges as others, and those with greater wealth or status within the community.