Being broke also means not answering the phone, because more likely than not, the person at the other end of the line isn't a friend or family member; it's a bill collector, calling to ask for money you just don't have. That's not okay with them, though. They threaten you, they call you names, they yell at you, and they make you feel like you are the lowest form of scum on the face of the earth.

Been there, done that. And constantly felt sick and scared and angry, because these people have NO empathy, NO sympathy, and they all act as if the money you owe the XYZ Company is money personally owed to that person on the other end of your telephone line. Once upon a time, I actually had a person from the utility company demand that I pay her "her" money. I asked for her supervisor; she was even worse.

Being broke means that those in power feel ever-so-free to take out all their aggressions on you, to kick you to the curb and then spit on you, kick you, and burn you with cigarettes, just because they can.

Being broke means that those in power really show you how much they don't give a fucking shit about you.

In this country, if you don't have wealth, you don't have worth.