Depends on the personality types. If a person is an introvert and rich then yes the nastiness can be quite obvious. There are many rich extrovert personalities which people like to call down to earth folks.
I think the question is ill formed. For example, the US was founded on "breaking the law". There are laws that should be [demand that they be] broken if they are tyrannical. This leads me to conclude, at least on first approximation, that perhaps the wealthy are less law abiding, but in some sense see the higher purpose of the laws and why they exist in the first place, to protect us from each other from harm. But what if the law does more harm than good, even to "protect"? So, I find the whole thing to be a bit contrived. Here is something that I read recently that makes a whole lot of sense: "Humans are innately motivated, as a result of their evolutionary history, to ally themselves with a group of others like themselves, for children, that means the peer group, and to tailor their behavior to that of their group. This process, called socialization, makes children more similar in behavior to their peers. But there is another process, operating at the same time, that makes children less like their peers: differentiation within the group. The members of a group differ in status, or are typecast by the others in different ways, which widens the personality differences among them. " - Judith Rich Harris I also think that people should differentiate between rules and laws. We should all abide by rules because rules are made once and then we are left alone forever after that. If the rules are constantly changing, then I claim the system itself that the rules are trying to make fair is flawed. That is why I like baseball over football. When was the last time you saw a rule change in baseball? I claim that laws are like football, rules that constantly changing, trying to patch up a system and camouflaging that system that is inherently flawed to begin with. So, if you need lawyers, you have a flawed system. If you need referees, you are good to go. Human beings have a near photographic memory for faces for a good reason, we need to be able to know who to iterate with, and who has done us wrong. Anyway, that article probably has some truth to it, but I am more interested in the genesis of the "problem."
I worked for a rich guy once. If you did not see him on his yachts (his only extravagance), you would not know he was rich. Used public transport and dressed casually most of the time. He was unfailingly polite but had zero tolerance for being jerked around.
I will be rich someday. So here's what I'm like: I look down on people like nitro, blowinski, JH and others that have no understanding of the things that leave their mouths. I also look down on you if you say you will be bored when you retire, or if you only do a few things, such as work a regular job, have a normal family, get married young, etc. (all the "normal" crap). I am very cynical and laugh at other's misfortune. For example: I heard a story of a guy who took motrin for joint pain, and when he vomited blood, he continued to take the motrin (It can cause stomach ulcers). I laughed inside about the stupidity... I'm a hipocrite, sometimes I do stupid stuff, but likely, it's because I'm ignorant, which I can easily fix. If you don't have enough money I will also look down at you. But I will smile in your face, so you think I'm a nice person. When I have all the money I care for, I will invest it well, probably have a few nice things. It will probably be hard to distinguish myself from a commoner. This is so I don't have to worry about gold digging bitches. This is also so people don't act like they know me. I have a lot going for me but somehow it's hard to find women I'm truly interested in. Most attractive women are deadbeats and think too highly of themselves, this is obviously because they don't have to work at much. For example, attractive women can model, take off their clothes, etc. and make $ doing it, and they have guys falling all over them. Ugly women have no choice but to work at life. Who want's ugly women regardless? Even if I had great time with ugly woman I wouldn't want!!! I wouldn't be happy as I know relationships are for sex... I mean come on, if I want to go somewhere, talk, go out to eat with someone, etc, I can find one of my 1,000,000 fair weather friends... Most people notice I'm smart immediately... I absolutely hate this. Define 'smart?' You can't... So don't use the word! There are certain words that have too much realtivity or perspective that I don't even use. I only use them if I talk with commoners. I'm nice to most people as long as they don't bother me for very long. If you piss me off (you can do this easily - but I don't let it bother me that much, I don't hold any grudges if I know you) I will scream at you. If you point out that I mess up, you better not screw up or I will laugh 10 times worse at you then you did to me.
Some people follow the rules despite the rules being tyrannical and absurd. They take pride in that, these people don't change anything in the world for better or for worse, they are good small pieces of the system. They can reach very high positions but never become significant in the historical sense. Naturally, many of the ultra rich have gotten where they are at the expense of ripping people off or poisoning the environment, therefore all rules are not created equal. Speeding in a 30 zone because of a road worker who forgot to remove the sign isn't the same as polluting a lake with carcinogens when it makes financial sense.
Nope, I'm an introvert, but a lot have people have told me I'm the meanest, most negative person they know. I enjoy hurting others sometimes. They just don't understand and that's their opinion/perception, and that's ok. It doesn't make it the absolute truth, or mean my intentions are bad either.