It&#x27;s not just empathy in the social buddies sense, but also that -- to quote a study name -- &quot;Higher social class predicts increased unethical behavior.&quot;<p>Abstract: <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.pnas.org&#x2F;content&#x2F;109&#x2F;11&#x2F;4086" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.pnas.org&#x2F;content&#x2F;109&#x2F;11&#x2F;4086</a><p>PDF: <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.pnas.org&#x2F;content&#x2F;early&#x2F;2012&#x2F;02&#x2F;21&#x2F;1118373109.full.pdf" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.pnas.org&#x2F;content&#x2F;early&#x2F;2012&#x2F;02&#x2F;21&#x2F;1118373109.full...</a><p>And yes, there are some hints to <i>causation</i> in there, where a participant was made &quot;wealthier&quot; (in a game context) and then differences were observed.