no there was a burgeoning middle class as we conquered more and more of the world. not middle class as you see them now, plus poor people wouldn't have been poor as we see them now. in the past your only expenses were food, clothes, maybe fuel for your fireplace or stove, some other things. oh candles, usually tallow. the divide between haves and have nots back then usually was seen in house size, location, quality of clothing, quality of food and drink, etc. the really important thing though is people didn't have their words, opinions, and thoughts regulated by the state. i think i would prefer being a victorian mill slave than the life i have now, assuming i was able to work. the life of cripples an the like back then was dire, i admit. i think there's a lot more to the quality of life we experience than being rich or being poor. it's not a simple linear relationship. there are dozens of factors that impact how we experience life, money is just one of them.
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