Salary is irrelevant to it. We're talking about how it's uncomfortable and generally not advisable to say "well I own a canoe that's painted up for duck hunting" when everyone else it talking about their yachts. It's a class thing, not a money thing.

> generally not advisable to say "well I own a canoe that's painted up for duck hunting" when everyone else it talking about their yachts

Why? The goal of most social conversations is to find a common thread, and if your commonality with this mustache twirling yacht owning theoretical is that you have a little canoe you enjoy taking duck hunting, then you at least have the beginnings of your thread.

Wealth and it's presence or absence is not indicative of social or moral worth, nor is socializing about "besting" the other person with your knowledge of imported French brandy. You may well talk to the person for five minutes, get through the usual pleasantries, and find you have nothing at all in common and part ways - or you might both settle on talking about small game hunting.