Rich Suitor, Poor Suitor/Playing With

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


  • Basic Trope: A character must choose between two Love Interests of different economic backgrounds.
  • Played Straight: Alice is involved in a Love Triangle between Bob (a billionaire) and Charlie (a waiter). Almost invariably, she chooses Charlie.
  • Exaggerated: Alice must choose between King Bob the Nth and Charlie the Hobo. She still chooses Charlie.
  • Justified: Alice picks her lovers based on their personality and looks, not socioeconomic class. These men just happen to be of different classes.
  • Inverted: Dave must choose between Elizabeth the Hotel Heiress and Fiona the kindergarten teacher.
  • Subverted: Alice must choose between Bob the Billionaire and Charlie the Waiter. She chooses Bob.
    • Alice decides to Take a Third Option that she likes even better than either Bob or Charlie
    • Alice must choose between Bob the Billionaire and Charlie the Plastic Surgeon.
    • Alice must choose between Bob the Starving Artist and Charlie the Hobo.
  • Double Subverted: Until she finds that money =/= happiness and leaves him for Charlie.
  • Deconstructed: Alice has a tough choice to make, and she might be under pressure from family and friends to pick the richer guy.
  • Reconstructed: Alice makes her choice based on how they treat her, not on how much money they have.
  • Parodied: Alice either turns down (or deliberately chooses) someone by looking at his bank statements.
  • Lampshaded:
  • Averted: Alice's Love Interest is of the same socioeconomic class she is
    • Alice has no Love Interests in-story
    • Alice is caught between two love interests, but they are both of a higher (or lower) socioeconomic background.
  • Enforced: Stock Aesops, Rags to Riches
  • Invoked: Alice dates casually and narrows her choices down to two possible candidates (Bob the Billionaire and Charlie the Waiter) with whom she might get serious.
  • Exploited: Alice is involved with Charlie the Waiter. Her mother wants her to marry rich, and introduces her to a rich man.
  • Defied: Alice only dates men in her socioeconomic class.
  • Played For Laughs: Alice appears to choose Charlie, but leaves him for Bob because Bob has money with which to wine and dine her.
  • Played For Drama: Alice is with Bob, but not happy, and falls for Charlie.

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