Which group of people do you think was most adversely affected by the Depression? Why?

The poor or middle income families

Explanation:

During that time the poor and the lower income families had a heavy reliance on the jobs that the husbands had, like being a factory worker. When the Depression began many workers were laid off, and a huge amount of families were even more impoverished.

it foreshadows the theme of the paragraph and hints the topic that will be discussed in the paragraph!

"the attempts of the proletariat to rise above this abasement"