In Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye, the presentation of class is largely handled through characterization and setting. For example, Geraldine's character is a symbol for both the middle class and internalized racism based on oppression by the white community. Geraldine lives in a house that is representative of her middle-class status, and she keeps her home immaculately clean, which can be seen as a reflection of her negative feelings towards poor families. Geraldine regards poor families as "dirty," so her rejection of poor people fuels her obsession with cleanliness (and arguably whiteness). Geraldine has forbidden her son Junior to play with children who are not of their social class, hoping to maintain a strict division between herself and her family and those whom she considers low. When Geraldine finds Pecola in her home, she is disgusted by Pecola both because Pecola has a dark complexion and because she appears poor. Geraldine's rage towards Pecola is a demonstration of class discrimination: rather than seeing Pecola (and her family) as members of the same racial community, Geraldine discriminates against Pecola because she sees herself as "better" or more deserving of respect than Pecola based on class. In Geraldine's eyes, Pecola embodies all that Geraldine has tried to escape, and their encounter is one way in which class is presented in the novel.