In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee introduces two families who reside on the outskirts of Maycomb County. The Ewells and the Cunninghams, two of the poorest families in Maycomb, despite their physical similarities, are two very different families. The Ewells are despised due to their physical and behavioral filth while the Cunninghams are respected by the residents of Maycomb County. They are both lower class but they present themselves differently because they have different moral codes. The Ewells lived for many generations on county welfare; they take everything they can get without repaying the community unlike the Cunninghams whose moral code is to take nothing without being able to repay it. The Ewells see themselves as victims of the community, but the Cunninghams see themselves more as a part of the community that they also want to contribute to. The Cunninghams “are country people, farmers, the crash hit them hardest” (Lee 27). They live very poorly but, according to Atticus, “the professionals were poor because the farmers were poor”. (Lee 27) and they were considered professionals. The Cunninghams were poor because of the Great Depression, but still felt the need to give to the community because they felt a part of it. Walter Cunningham, who was part of Scout's freshman class, didn't have much. In fact, his "face told everyone in first grade that he had hookworms. His lack of shoes told us how he got them." (Lee 25). Additionally, even though the Cunninghams were poor, they still demonstrated a certain form of class because Walter "wore a clean shirt and neatly mended overalls." (Lee 25 years old), when he was attending school. The Cunninghams "didn't... middle of paper...... this results in the disrespectful, rude, abusive and impolite behavior that possesses them. Although the Cunninghams and the Ewells are both poor families who struggle to feed their children, their moral codes differ, which makes them very different. The Cunninghams believe in reciprocity and are not interested in what they gain by helping others, while the Ewells believe themselves to be victims of County County. Maycomb. Their living conditions make their behavior more difficult. The Cunninghams living on a farm naturally work hard for their property, but due to their poverty, they only take what they can give back. by Maycomb. Bob Ewell uses his alcohol relief checks that the Cunninghams respect is the same principle that the Ewells ignore. Lee, Harper To Kill a Mockingbird New York: Grand Central, 1960. Print...