The passage discusses the changing nature of the American Dream. While the American Dream has traditionally represented the hope and motivation of achieving a better life through hard work, many youth today from lower class backgrounds find this dream nearly impossible to attain. The Dream is still alive in theory but has become more difficult to achieve in practice for many. Factors like income inequality, lack of social mobility, and unaffordable education and housing are making it harder for lower class individuals to change their economic circumstances through determination and effort alone.