It's not really that the Poor are more or less honest than the rich . . .

A number of years ago, there was one of those human interest stories that caught my eye. Some kid somewhere who delivers bagels (it was probably in the Washington Post, because I lived in Northern Virginia at the time) noted that people are generally honest and generous with tips, with the exception of executives. Not only were executive types stingy, but the only real problem with pilfering and short-changing the kid said he had was when he was dealing with executives.

Makes sense to me, looking at the personality traits of executive types according to the Myers-Briggs typology. And the poor being more charitable and honest is also a theme Steinbeck repeats a number of times in Grapes of Wrath.