Oh, right. Long time since I read it.

Some older children's books were confusing that way. The family in Little Women thinks they are poor, but they have a part time servant. Now I understand that in those days she was the equivalent of a few appliances, like a dishwasher and blender. Also, they lived in a small house with a cute yard, while the poor people I knew lived in roach infested apartments. TBF the author shows real poverty, too, in the large family of destitute immigrants the little women get to be charitable to, while nobly enduring their lack of a carriage. I find the differences interesting.