Of the total population of Mexico, twenty million are believed to live in extreme poverty. (DePalma, nytimes.com) In The Pearl by John Steinbeck, (set in Baja California, Mexico) the main character and his wife live in terrible conditions; however, a few miles from their village lives a wealthy town. This presents a serious gap in the quality of life between these classes. The answers to the questions discussed in this paper (for example, “How large is this financial gap in Mexico?”, “Why does this gap exist?”, and “What could we have done to prevent this gap?”) provide a basis for understanding this topic. Although The Pearl was written in 1945, this article will focus on these issues in present-day Mexico. The first objective of this article will be to analyze the extent of this gap in Mexico. Economic inequality has become so evident that poor criminals kidnap rich citizens for sums of money. A study by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development found that Mexico had the widest gap between rich and poor among 30 other countries studied. (Economic Survey of Mexico, oecd.org) It is almost certain, therefore, that the rich will be the targets to be reached. And because of this, the wealthy must take extreme measures to protect their personal safety. “With drug-related violence spiraling out of control and kidnappings a proven source of revenue for criminal gangs, members of Mexico's upper class find themselves juggling the spoils of their status with the fear of being killed.” (Lacey, nytimes.com) On the other hand, the rich are not the only ones who find themselves at a disadvantage due to this inequality. The treatment of moderately poor people is improving slightly; however...... middle of paper...... 2008. Web. May 10, 2014."Long-Term Solutions to Disruptive Income Inequality." Mountain Math Software and Web. May 10, 2014."Data on Mexico." World development indicators. The World Bank Group, n.d. Web. May 10, 2014. “Poverty in Mexico: An Assessment of Conditions, Trends, and Government Strategy.” Poverty analysis. The World Bank Group, nd Web. 10 May 2014.Reardon, Sean. “The Growing Academic Achievement Gap Between Rich and Poor: New Evidence and Possible Explanations.” Stanford University, July 2011. Web. May 10, 2014. Sutter, John. “7 Ways to Close the Gap Between Rich and Poor.” CNN. Cable News Network, January 1, 1970. Web. May 10, 2014 "The Causes of Poverty in Mexico." Advanced composition for non-native English speakers. Eslbee.com and Web. 10 May 2014."What can be done to improve income inequality?" SparkNote. SparkNotes LLC and Web. May 10 2014.