Night City: A Reflection of Our World

1. Evidence

David attends the prestigious Arasaka academy, a place where only the top and wealthiest students are admitted. Despite his talent, he is constantly looked down upon by his classmates and even his teachers. Making it hard for him to get opportunities, even though he attends the academy, he is always picked on and bullied.

Making implicit explicit:

David's classmates think less of him, not because of his academic ability but because of his economic status. This showcases how wealth determines social status and opportunity in Night City. David was born and raised in Santo Domingo, a low-income sector, where many of these citizens turn to banditry and outlaws to get by. In turn, David gets fewer opportunities at Arasaka Academy solely because of his social class, despite being fully capable of receiving the same opportunities as the other wealthy kids.

So what?

This matters because it reflects real-world problems in the link between education and wealth. Students who grow up in low-income backgrounds tend to have a harder time breaking the mold that so many of them were put in. With schools in those sectors of both Night City and real-world megacities, there are obvious discrepancies in their education compared to wealthier school districts. To combat this, we send top students from low-income schools to "better schools". While on paper this seems like a benefit, it is very flawed. These students stick out as low-income and, in some cases, are labeled as thugs. Even though they are just as capable, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners showcases a true life for many bright, low-income students seeking a better education and opportunities.

2. Evidence

In the first episode of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, viewers are showcased the world life of Gloria Martinez. Gloria works multiple jobs throughout Night City, but her most visible role being an emergency medic. However, she participates in the black market of Night City, by salvaging cyberware from dead bodies and selling it to Edgerunners and mercenaries.

Making implicit explicit:

By highlighting the economic stress Gloria is under the show provides a clear example of a struggling family fighting for opportunity. Much of this financial burden comes from David's tuition at Arasaka Academy, an institution he attends in hopes of gaining better opportunities in the future. Gloria's willingness to work multiple jobs—and even participate in the black market by doing highly illegal and arguably unethical things—shows how far low-income families must go just to provide their children access to opportunities that wealthier families can easily afford.

So what?

This is an important systematical issue that can be translated into our real world. In many cases, low income families feel pressure to resort to illegal or risky practices, in order to be able to elevate their children onto better opportunities. This can throughout low income areas of major cities, where families struggle immensely to escape cycles of poverty. So just like Gloria, some parents take extreme risks in hopes that their children will be able to get a different future than the one they grew up in.

3. Evidence

"So you tell me. What have I been busting my ass for then, huh? Everything I do I do for you D. Don't you see that? You're breaking my heart, mijo. I want to give you a fighting chance in this city and a good education. It's why I put in all those hours… Why am I never home."

Making implicit explicit:

Here we see Gloria expressing her ambition and dreams with David after he gets in trouble at Arasaka Academy. David had pirated a cyberware upgrade in order to avoid the expensive cost, but in doing so he crashed the whole school system, which led to a suspension and nearly getting expelled. After David shows signs that he is tired of school and wants to drop out, Gloria releases the frustration she has been carrying from working long hours to afford his tuition. She believes David is not taking full advantage of the tremendous opportunity she actively sacrifices so much to provide.

So what?

This reinforces the idea that people from lower-income backgrounds face additional barriers when trying to succeed in systems built for wealthier individuals. David, while dealing with the financial burden of attending a wealthy institution, also has to stand tall under all the expectations and dreams his mom has imposed on him. David sees his mom busting her back trying to make ends meet so he can attend Arasaka Academy, which is the beacon of pressure his mom's kind gesture provides him.

4. Evidence

After the death of his mother and his expulsion from Arasaka Academy, David meets Maine and is recruited into his group of mercenaries. David accepts and becomes part of Maine's crew, working as an edgerunner—a term used to describe outlaws—in the underground world of Night City.

Making implicit explicit:

By David joining Maine's crew, David makes a clear transition from the life his mom fought to prevent. With his mom no longer being there, he loses the little stability and protection he grasped too, leaving him with few remaining options. What was once a bright academic student from Santo Domingo has now taken on the mantle of an edgerunner—an outlaw that is for hire, defying the government and mega corporations.

So what?

This moment reflects a larger real-world issue: limited opportunities for individuals growing up in lower-income environments. When people's support systems suddenly disappear, the stability and support they provided cease as well. This leaves people with limited structure with very few paths forward. In many major cities, individuals without sufficient stability may feel lured into illegal activities to make money and gain status. By showcasing David's shift from student to mercenary, the story illustrates how systemic inequality can funnel individuals into unlawful paths when traditional support disappears.

5. Evidence

After a violent car crash, Gloria Martinez is critically injured and taken to a hospital in Night City. Without access to expensive trauma care or high end medical coverage, David is unable to secure treatment needed to save her life, and Gloria later dies from her injuries.

Making implicit explicit:

Gloria's death demonstrates how access to vital life-saving care is solely influenced by wealth. Despite her being a first responder herself, the trauma team leaves her behind because she is not a registered client under their premium medical service. As a result, David and Gloria are left heavily wounded at the scene of the crash, waiting for other responders to arrive.

So what?

This helps convey a larger-picture issue in today's world regarding healthcare inequality. In many countries, access to quality medical treatment is closely tied to financial resources. Individuals coming from lower-income backgrounds face bigger risks during medical emergencies, as their survivability may be linked to their wealth. By illustrating to us that Gloria's death could have been preventable if given adequate treatment, it highlights how economic systems built around profits and not for the betterment of the people can leave vulnerable populations without the proper support for their health.

6. Evidence

During a high–risk mission, where if they pull it off Maine and his crew would effectively be set for life. Maine begins to lose control as the extensive cyberware integrated into his body overwhelms his nervous system. As his condition worsens, he suffers from full cyberpsychosis—a mental-disorder that occurs when the human mind can no longer bear the strain of excessive cybernetic augmentation.

Making implicit explicit:

Maine's mental breakdown, which leads to his crew's demise, has one main culprit—the pressure of Night City to get the best and most dangerous cyberware. The diagnosis of cyberpsychosis does not come from every cyber installation done to your body. Each installation carries its own risks and can damage your body and soul. Maine, who grew up a byproduct of his father, an infamous edgerunner, instantly shuts down the idea of scaling back—taking great pride in being the strongest, fastest, and most destructive edge runner around.

So what?

The character of Maine is used to demonstrate the product of a system that favors those with wealth, if not wealth, those with power. Being born into the world of outlaws, instantly labeled him as one before he even had an opportunity to choose a different path. In order to survive in such a harsh environment, he believes he must become stronger than everyone around him, regardless of the physical or mental tolls it may place on his body. This shows us how systematic environments that prioritize power can create a cycle of obsessing over it, ultimately destroying themselves and those around them in the process.

7. Evidence

Following Maine's death, there is a one year timeskip. David takes on the mantle of leading the crew. He installs Maine's cybernetic hands that he passed down to David.

Making implicit explicit:

By taking over the crew after Maine's death David is following in the footsteps that led to Maine's downfall. In order to keep the group relevant in the Night City underground, he must take the mantle of the toughest and strongest edgerunner—the same reputation that Maine carried with heavy burden. The first time we see David after the timeskip he noticeably has gotten heavy cybernetic augmentation done to him. He now bears Maine's cybernetic silver hand, something that Maine promised to David from early on. This symbolizes David's complete transformation.

So what?

David taking on the mantle shows that people must do what it takes to stay in power, regardless of the methods they use to stay relevant. As David gains status and influence in Night City, he gradually becomes more like Maine, the same person whose downfall he witnessed firsthand. To maintain power in the mercenary world, David does not see it as a choice to sacrifice much of his body and soul through cybernetic augmentation and increasingly violent actions.

8. Evidence

Throughout the show, Lucy repeatedly expresses, shows, and argues for her desire to escape Night City and travel to the moon. After David's death, Lucy fulfills this dream. She is shown standing on the surface of the moon, looking back toward Earth.

Making implicit explicit:

Lucy constantly shares her dream of the moon. A place that has been glorified as an escape from mega-corp-run cities. She has had this dream since episode one and has never deviated from it; it was her driving force to continue her life. She shared that dream with David, the only person to whom she had opened up about it. After David was gone, she found solace in pursuing her dream.

So what?

Lucy's dream of going to the moon is much more layered than a personal ambition. She views the moon as a haven from the oppression and limited opportunities in Night City. Throughout the show, we see how the city is controlled by megacorporations that dictate nearly every aspect of life, from employment to healthcare to education. So the moon, being a mega-corp-free environment where everyone starts on an equal footing, no matter your background, reflects the argument made by Karl Marx in the Communist Manifesto. Her escape to the moon symbolizes a rejection of the oppressive system Marx describes, where the only sensible path to liberation is to break away from oppression.

9. Evidence

"You do not make it as a cyberpunk by how you live, you are remembered by how you die."

Making implicit explicit:

Lucy and David, who grew up surrounded by the criminal side of Night City, view life in this way. To them, they do not care how you live; they want fame, notoriety, and most importantly, to be remembered as a legend. Edgerunners live by this motto, as they want to be remembered forever in the alleys of Night City. People whisper their names long after their lives.

So what?

This mindset encapsulates the importance of social recognition within the world of Cyberpunk. For many edgerunners, survival or financial stability is often secondary to achieving the highly coveted notoriety and respect they all desire. This aligns with Max Weber's argument that "the sense of dignity that characterizes positively privileged status groups is naturally related to their being." In the edgerunner culture, status and dignity are directly correlated with reputation and achievements.

10. Evidence

"Look, Mom, I am here…Very top of Arasaka Tower."

Making implicit explicit:

David fulfills his mom's dream by attaining the status, wealth, and power she always envisioned for him, only in the way she did not want him to obtain them. In the first episode, Gloria Martinez expressed her desire for him to rise through the social ladder and reach places she could never. However, over the course of the show, this ambition becomes increasingly muted. His ambition was always there, and he always wanted to fulfill his late mom's dreams. However, he augmented the dream he will fulfill. Instead of being at the very top of the tower dictating to the mega-corp, he was there to tear it all down.

So what?

David's final moments at the top of Arasaka Tower ultimately reveal how social class systems create illusions of upward mobility, designed to keep those born of the lower class stagnated. Although David gains wealth, reputation, and power throughout the series, his rise to notoriety never fully confers on him the true legitimacy or security that members of the corporate elite possess. Though he may be as influential and wealthy as many members of this top class, he will never become one. This reflects the ideas presented by Paul Fussell in Class: A Guide Through the American Status System, in which he explains that "Class is a matter not only of money but of status, taste, and style."