I agree. I think this falls into the either-or conundrum. All the characters in AS are either winners or losers. There seems to be no 'in between'.
I call it the quadri-metallic standard. Gold and silver for commerce, and lead and brass to protect them
Great line! That's a keeper.
For most of the book that is the case. As you stated, the book is primarily cast with winners and losers. But there is a part where the 'in between' make an appearance, though not until the end of the book and even then, the character that encounters them doesn't think very highly of them.