“The American Dream” is like art, all the value is in the perceived value.  Profiting from that dream is also an art.  Often one who has not been born in to an opportunity rich environment is more appreciative or can better see the opportunities around them that others may take for granted.  Most will always find success if you remember that there is a market for everything somewhere and capitalizing on it is the dream actualized.  We are a nation of great sales people.  We can sell debt, prison space, celestial star names etc. It is the perceived value of what is around us that makes a salesman, if the seller believes it to be valuable he can make a consumer believe so as well.