one works not only to live but also to be able to make merit
Part of the income of poor farmers will be spent on making merit, particularly donating to the wat. Wealth accumulation is not for economic investment only but it has always been invested in religious activities. Accordingly, it is not profit seeking that drives people to work. People make merit by donating money to the wat in the hope that one position in society will become better, if not in this life perhaps the next life.