Jem says there are ordinary folks, people like the Cunninghams and Ewells and Negroes.
Part of growing up is learning how the world works. After the trial, Jem decides that he was worked out the class system in Maycomb that defines the level of power each person has.
There’s four kinds of folks in the world. There’s the ordinary kind like us and the neighbors, there’s the kind like the Cunninghams out in the woods, the kind like the Ewells down at the dump, and the Negroes.” (Ch. 23)
By “ordinary” he means people of the middle and upper class of Maycomb who have enough money to live comfortably and avoid the contempt of the rest of society. The Finches are part of this group, an old family. The Cunninghams are also white, but they are poor yet respectable farmers. This leaves the Ewells on the lowest ladder of the white people.
They were people, but they lived like animals. “They can go to school any time they want to, when they show the faintest symptom of wanting an education,” said Atticus. “There are ways of keeping them in school by force, but it’s silly to force people like the Ewells into a new environment-” (Ch. 3)
The Ewells are the cause of the problem with the trial. They consider themselves superior to African Americans like Tom Robinson, even though they are the lowest rung on Maycomb’s ladder. Just being white makes them superior to even the most dignified African American.
Scout comments that the Cunninghams are superior to the Ewells, because Walter is "not trash." This is an understanding of the difference between working for a living like the farmer Cunninghams and living off of welfare and hunting like the Ewells. The Cunninghams make an attempt to be a part of society, but the Ewells don't.
What are the four kinds of people in Maycomb according to Scout?
The previous answer is correct. The one who classifies the people of Maycomb is Jem. Here is the quote:
“You know something, Scout? I’ve got it all figured out, now. I’ve thought about it a lot lately and I’ve got it figured out. There’s four kinds of folks in the world. There’s the ordinary kind like us and the neighbors, there’s the kind like the Cunninghams out in the woods, the kind like the Ewells down at the dump, and the Negroes.”
Scout, in the only way she could, asks an innocent follow up question:
“What about the Chinese, and the Cajuns down yonder in Baldwin County?”
The point of this discussion is Jem and Scout are beginning to see the social hierarchy of the town. Let me setup the context. When Scout finds out that one of the Cunningham’s probably wanted to acquit Tom, she wants to invite Walter Cunningham to dinner. Aunt Alexandra expressly forbids this to happen. She looks down on people like the Cunninghams. There is a chain reaction. People like the Cunninghams look down on people like the Ewells, and people like the Ewells look...
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down on Blacks. Such is the way Maycomb works.
Jem and Scout are in the process of growing.
What are the four kinds of people in Maycomb according to Scout?
It is actually Jem who tells Scout about the four different types of people in the world of Maycomb and To Kill a Mockingbird. In Chapter 23, Atticus explains to Jem that it was one of the Cunninghams on the jury who held out for as long as he did before finally giving in and voting Tom Robinson guilty. Jem is amazed to find that this man, who apparently was one of the mob trying to lynch Tom Robinson at the jail, could suddenly turn around and decide to set him free. Atticus explained that you had "to know 'em" first. It was from this talk with Atticus that Jem gained his foresight about different types of people.
"You know something, Scout? I've got it all figured out, now... There's four kinds of folks in the world. There's the ordinary kind like us and the neighbors, there's the kind like the Cunninghams out in the woods, the kind like the Ewells down at the dump, and the Negroes."