(pp. 28) Starting characters have a default Status of 0 (ordinary citizen), but can choose anywhere in the range from -2 (downtrodden outcast) to 2 or 3 (minor nobility, etc.). High status is only slightly more useful than Wealth after the initial collapse of society, but may prove useful or interesting in situations where survivors encounter other groups of survivors as pre-existing social tensions come to the fore. In some cases the pre-crisis order will be respected by encountered survivors, while others may use the crisis to settle socioeconomic grievances.