Poverty is a family’s best kept secret. People in poverty, were and still are made to feel like failures. Families would do their upmost best to keep their poverty a secret. There was a similar stigma attached to kids on free school meals too.I Remember having green bus tokens to get me to school and back in the mid 60's. I believe they were issued to poorer families. I remember I used to palm mine so no one could see it was a token as I was worried I would be judged by others.
Would not worry me in the slightest now.