When Steinbeck describes the rich man and his wife how do you know he has in mind all rich people?

Steinbeck uses the rich man and his wife as symbols to represent the values and behaviors of wealthy individuals in society, rather than as a direct representation of all rich people. Through his characters, he portrays the class divide and explores the theme of wealth and privilege, but it would be inaccurate to assume that he is making sweeping generalizations about all wealthy individuals.