any job in order to earn money while waiting for something better to come along. She has had a great education, after all. So, in spite of her rejections of social convention, Vickie’s attitude to work is realistic, and more in keeping with that of the previous generation than Lelaina’s idealistic approach. The difference is, Vickie and Lelaina are both operating within a working world shaped by that previous generation; the rules of which are set by those that profited from 1980s capitalism.

Lelaina’s idealism hews more closely to Troy’s extreme apathy, in that she uses it to justify her preference of non-participation in capitalist social structures. These positions are both at odds with Michael, who believes that you need to participate, and compromise, to make change. He sees himself as s...

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