Poverty is an epidemic that has engulfed the American nation many times over. Whether it sits quietly beneath the surface, or is blatantly staring us in the face as in the current recession, it affects people across America on individual, community, and national levels. Although the causes and effects of poverty are many, when trying to address the problem it is important to consider the issue of poverty and its causes from all angles. These factors include socioeconomic status, mental illness, family values, and work ethic, just to name a few. In this essay I will examine these factors as they are discussed in the book The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls (referred to as Glass Castle throughout the essay), as well as in the article Poverty in America from the Congressional Digest, December 2010. (referred to as Census throughout the essay ). When children are born into poverty, it is the only life they know. They often grow up seeing life from a “that's just the way it is” perspective or become determined to improve their status when they are old enough to do so. Children often don't realize they live in poverty until their peers tell them, for example when they are called poor and see people pitying them or making fun of them. They may also realize that they are different when they are exposed to what others have and realize that they have much less. As noted in Poverty in America, the poverty level, itself, is simply based on an income deficit, with one family receiving less money than another; it also concerns the standard of living (Census, page 300). When you have less income, you have fewer things, but living on these means often creates or hides the barrier of poverty. ...... half of the paper ...... Although poverty has been a constant problem, there are many causes and facts associated with this social construct, and many ways to overcome it. In this essay, which combined information on poverty from the 2010 census and the book The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, the effects of mental illness, addiction, family values, and work ethic on poverty were discussed and examined. The writer's overall conclusion would be that poverty can be overcome as long as individuals are willing to help themselves and their dependents and overcome the obstacles they face to create a better outcome. Works Cited Walls, Jeanette. The Glass Castle: Memoirs.3rd ed. 5. New York: Simmon& Schuster, 2005. Print."Poverty in the United States." Congressional Digest 89.10 (2010): 298-300.Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Network. April 13. 2011.