The well-to-do class that Tolstoy wrote about is a far cry from the related lot Waugh explores. Tolstoy envisioned the rich bettering themselves through selfless acts of charity and hard work and liberal politics, Waugh’s characters see the working class as barely alive and not even deserving of a contemptuous sideways glance.

Sadly, Waugh is closer to how the privileged really feel, though they’d never admit it.