Basic Trope: A character must choose between two Love Interests of different economic backgrounds.
- Straight: Alice is involved in a Love Triangle between Bob (a billionaire) and Charlie (a waiter).
- Exaggerated: Alice must choose between King Bob the Nth and Charlie the Hobo.
- Downplayed: Alice must choose between King Bob the Nth and Tycoon Tim or between Bob from Accounting and Charlie the waiter.
- Justified: Alice picks her lovers based on their personality and looks, not socioeconomic class. These men just happen to be of different classes.
- Inverted: Dave must choose between Elizabeth the Hotel Heiress and Fiona the kindergarten teacher.
- Subverted:
- Alice decides to Take a Third Option that she likes even better than either Bob or Charlie
- Bob was lying about being a billionaire to impress Alice. The truth is she has two poor suitors.
- Charlie was lying about his economic situation because he wanted to know that his friends and lovers don't want to hang with him just for his money. The truth is she has two rich suitors.
- Double Subverted:
- The third option doesn't pan out and Alice is back to the two of them.
- Bob wins the lottery the next day.
- Charlie is robbed overnight of all his wealth.
- Parodied: Alice either turns down (or deliberately chooses) someone by looking at his bank statements.
- Zig Zagged: Bob gets impoverished overnight. Then both he and Charlie manage to get rich by finding a hoard of gold. Then it turns out the gold was fake. Then Alice gets an inheritance and becomes richer than either of them. Then Bob steals Charlie's money. Then Charlie steals it back...
- Averted:
- Alice's Love Interest is of the same socioeconomic class she is.
- Alice has no Love Interests in-story.
- Alice is caught between two love interests, but they are both of a higher (or lower) socioeconomic background.
- Enforced: Stock Aesops, Rags to Riches, Slobs Versus Snobs.
- Lampshaded: "Just great, I have a billionaire and a waiter at my feet. I feel myself like a heroine of some cheap romantic novel."
- Invoked: Alice dates casually and narrows her choices down to two possible candidates (Bob the Billionaire and Charlie the Waiter) with whom she might get serious.
- Exploited: Alice is involved with Charlie the Waiter. Her mother wants her to marry rich, and introduces her to a rich man.
- Defied: Alice only dates men in her socioeconomic class.
- Discussed: "I wish Alice finally makes a choice. The waiter might be dashing but I doubt he'll ever be able to provide for her."
- Conversed: "Oh, not this rich-and-poor triangle again. We already know she's going to choose the poor one. Can it be any less original?"
- Implied: Alice and her suitors are talking with some rich magnates. One of the suitors looks right at home and another is visibly awkward.
- Deconstructed:
- Alice has a tough choice to make, and she might be under pressure from family and friends to pick the richer guy.
- Alice is from a wealthy background and her family and friends are concerned that Charlie the Waiter is a gold-digger.
- Reconstructed: Alice makes her choice based on how they treat her, not on how much money they have.
- Played For Laughs: Alice appears to choose Charlie, but leaves him for Bob because Bob has money with which to wine and dine her.
- Played For Drama: Alice is with Bob, but not happy, and falls for Charlie.
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