comment on setting

The novel takes place in Illinois in a fictional suburb of Chicago. This town is divided into two sections, the wealthy part of town and the poor side of town. The two sides of town rarely mix except at the local high school. In the wealthy part of town, most of the people own their own business or have successful careers in high paying jobs, drive expensive cars and wear designer clothing. In the poor section of town, most of the people work endlessly at low paying jobs and many of the young men are forced to join the local gangs in order to protect themselves, their families, and their neighborhood.