Final answer:
Wealthy Romans enjoyed affluent lives with political influence and access to education, while the lower classes encountered poverty and limited opportunities. The Roman aristocracy lived in luxury, with control over significant wealth and political power, while the urban poor and clients struggled to survive in overcrowded housing with unstable employment.
Step-by-step explanation:
The wealthy upper class in Rome enjoyed a variety of privileges that set them apart from the lower classes. Their lives were characterized by access to education and luxury, positions in politics, law, and the military, and control over vast amounts of land and resources. Plebeians and lower classes faced struggles with basic needs and had very limited social mobility.
The aristocracy lived in luxury, with the rich often residing in grand single-family homes called domus, contrasting sharply with the squalid conditions where most citizens lived. The rich had their mornings filled with business and political meetings, followed by afternoons of socializing and leisure. Their political power was considerable, as wealth often translated into political influence, with the rich dominating the Centuriate Council and having the legal right to out-vote the poorer classes.
In comparison, lower class Romans, including the urban poor and clients of the patrons, lived in overcrowded apartment complexes known as insulae and relied on inconsistent work. Slavery was also a significant institution in Rome and played a crucial role in its economy. The enslaved could gain freedom, becoming a class of freed people with professional skills but were often still influenced by their former masters and were prevented from holding important political or religious positions.