Penniless yet Powerful Papa

A person need not be wealthy or highly successful to be powerful, rather they must simply be able to understand the wants of others. The impression the person leaves is indelible. For example, in The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, Rex Walls is able to wield the most respect without ever doing much for his family.

The amount of power an individual is able to wield is limitless. Yet, the abundance of power can only come from the obsequious followers. Rex Walls capitalizes on his family's hapless circumstances and assumes the role of patriarch of the family. Despite the paucity of income Rex brings home, the way his family views him does not change. He, with time, has led his family to believe his unsubstantiated 

statements of building a Glass Castle. This utopian dream continues to lead the family astray. Rex has created a deep desire for something that is family believes only he know how to accomplish. Thus, by being able to manipulate the family's emotions at whim, Rex holds all the power. He is the sole figure who is able to either stymie or facilitate their future dreams during their childhood.

Adolf Hitler, a deplorable and much abhorred person, was also able to wield immense power the same way Rex Walls did. He too, captured Germany's imagination during one of their worst economic depressions. With his eloquent speaking abilities Hitler presented to the German public the reason for their problems, and a simple way to "eradicate" them. The masses were drawn to the man and his ideas because he, like Rex, held the key to their bright futures.