You're right in thinking the passage is weird. Of course a potter will make less money than a software engineer. Nothing surprising or necessarily bad here. Th

You're right in thinking the passage is weird. Of course a potter will make less money than a software engineer. Nothing surprising or necessarily bad here. The problem however is the system under which having less money has stark negative impacts on your quality of life. For example a for profit healthcare system may result in the potter being utterly unable to receive necessary dental care. A fair system would ensure that no one suffers just because they don't make a lot of money. This is not the case even in many rich countries, where persons without a lot of money are forced to skip on health care and live in sub standard housing that doesn't suit even the most basic of needs.