El Loco Ruiz regarding economy and material culture depicts Ruiz making outlandish purchases to mimic the lifestyle of an upper-class individual despite lacking the proper character and status title one would need to be considered upper-class. This is evident by the purchases of a grand piano and multiple paintings. Similarly, Ruiz and his friends do not seem comfortable engaging in the same activities as the upper-class, consider themselves below that. Furthermore, Ruiz decorates his place as a facade of a upper-middle class, family-style house in an attempt to lure in young women which he can then force into the lifestyle of prostitution.
As emphasized by the graph, the characters in El Loco Ruiz prioritize their money very poorly. The discrepancy between the huge amount of money spent on gambling versus necessities reveals that these characters lack the will to save money and spend money as soon as they obtain it. Furthermore, the money spent on materialistic items such as the ring and the boots indicates the need for status symbols in attempts to become seen as higher status.