There was a somewhat recent article about this dynamic on a forum that DC area women post on. It described a lot of type A personalities one-upping each other around how much their husbands make ($400k+ / year at the low end I think it was noted), what they paid for a baby carriage, how many vacations they go on yearly, etc. that all reminded me a lot of what kids do in high school. It was a bit embellished probably, but eating out here and there in Northern Virginia I've overheard a lot of really eye-rolling conversations of similarly shallow topics but also accompanied by a more chilling conversation of such incredible privilege that's so commonplace. I did a short count while I sat in a parking lot once and literally over 50% of the cars being driven were recent model German import luxury vehicles - I literally never saw a Mercedes Benz or even knew what BMW was by the time I was 13. For kids growing up in the suburbs here, you'd statistically expect the average household to have a $45k car.

I think a lot of the disgusting behavior is about the personality types and the values that tend to manifest among those types rather than anything intrinsic to wealth. A family member is extremely wealthy (.01%er) and from what I remember that household has never discusses business unless at a designated place and time. Perhaps this is simply an old money v. new money sort of contrast fundamentally.