Ever since reading Keith Johnstone's wonderful book, "Impro" (which I recommend to all writers...and all non-writers, for that matter), I've been aware of how big a role the notion of status plays in everybody's life. Two great creations based on the desire for status are Hyacinth Bucket (which she pronounced "Bouquet") and Basil Fawlty of "Fawlty Towers." Now science is confirming the power of status.
In a Japanese study, researchers did brain scans of volunteers who were either winning money at a card game, or being (highly) assessed by strangers. The same part of the brain lit up in both cases.
In terms of your characters, a few useful questions to ask are:
*How do they view their place in the world? Is that also how other people see them? If they over-estimate or under-estimate their place, that can be funny or sad. Charles Dickens used these discrepancies for both comic and tragic effect.
* How do they react when put into an unfamiliar situation? Their behavior will be influenced strongly by their status.
* How does the balance of status (or power) between characters shift over the course of your book or script? Again, such shifts can be great for comedy or drama. A classic dramatic example is the film, "The Servant."
(For more writing tips, see my book, "Your Writing Coach" (Nicholas Brealey Publishing) and the associated website: www.yourwritingcoach.com. The book contains code words that unlock interviews with writers, agents, producers and others on the website.)