Are we expecting too much from the poor and the rich?

It occurs to me that dogs and cats make a good choice when they hitched their future success to humans.  Dogs and cats now, on average, live longer, healthier, and more luxurious lives than any of their ancestors did.  Perhaps the same can be said for many humans.  Lots of people have good lives simply because they are associated with a person that has improved their lives for them.  We don't expect dogs and cats to begin contributing more to society, so perhaps it is time we stopped expecting the poor or the eccentric to contribute more as well.  If a person desires to live on the outskirts of town, dance and sing to make a paltry living from spectators, and not get a 40-hour a week job in "society", shouldn't we just accept that?  If a billionaire chooses to buy a private island, exclude themselves from the troubles of the rest of the world, neither helping nor harming, shouldn't we just forget about them and let them be?