If my interpretation of what I have been reading is correct then the lower end of town is a minority  and Howard figures that he can just chew them up and spit them  out onto the scrap heap. It's the old story keep the majority happy and she'll be right mate but just in case the majority may have a few pangs of fair chop of the cherry for the poor sod next to them or down the road. Howard propagates fear pure and unadulterated to make sure the majority is too panic stricken with thoughts of increases in interest rates to be able to look beyond their own lifestyle and back pocket to cast a thought for the underdog. So yes Nolly someone must take a stance and at least attempt to bring in to the majority of the populations mindset how disgusting and discriminorty it is to hold the minority at the bottom with no hope of climbing out for that matter not even light at the end of the tunnel.