The film is not arguing that the Kim family are the villains, but rather that capitalism forces the poor to fight each other for survival while the wealthy remain insulated from the consequences. While the Kims' actions are undeniably ruthless, such as framing the driver with underwear and using a peach allergy to oust Moon-gwang, their cruelty is directed entirely at other working-class individuals, not at the Parks. They do not want to overthrow the Parks; they want to be them. When the Kims host a drunken celebration in the Parks' living room, they speak of the Parks as nice, kind people, to which Chung-sook astutely replies that they are nice because they are rich. Wealth acts as a moral buffer, allowing the Parks to be gentle because they face no existential threats. The real conflict in the film's second half is not between the Kims and the Parks, but between the Kims and Moon-gwang's husband, Geun-sae. The system is designed to prevent solidarity among the lower classes; by forcing them to fight over the crumbs of the wealthy, the structure ensures they are too busy destroying one another to ever challenge the people at the top.■