Every town the size of Maycomb had families like the Ewells. No economic fluctuations changed their status – people like the Ewells lived as guests of the county in prosperity as well as in the depths of a depression. No truant officers could keep their numerous offspring in school; no public health officer could free them from congenital defects, various worms, and the diseases indigenous to filthy surroundings.
– Harper Lee
To Kill a Mockingbird, Chapter 17. Scout describes the position of the Ewell family in Maycomb. They are poor, social outcasts and at the bottom rung of white society.