>> they're taking our stuff! >> but the american dream is not the reality for most americans. >> i'll tell you boys, life is crazy. all these doors open up for you, except they're not really doors. they're trap doors. >> the american sitcom is how we tell stories about class. >> you're thinking, is this all i have to my life? not you kids. i love you kids. but the house. come on, it's crap. >> so when the sitcom makes its way to television, you already see that with "the honeymooners." >> the honeymooners! >> what are we going to do? what are we going to live on until this layoff is over? suppose it does last a month. >> well, we just gotta face it. we just have to cut down, cut out this high living. >> "the honeymooners" was an example of the idea of class and struggle and what it was like to be a family who didn't have a lot. >> you don't know how to handle money! >> of course i don't. i never had any practice. >> these were people born with