Discuss how Oscar Wilde has brought out the theme of class divide's prevalence in society in his story "The Happy Prince."

The city in which the story is set gives the impression of being a place where material wealth is considered all-important. The opulent statue of the Happy Prince, with its gold leaf and precious stones, stands as a very visible symbol of this. But this fixation with wealth comes at a price. It encourages the local worthies to overlook the deep pockets of poverty and deprivation that blight the city—and so many of its inhabitants.
When he was alive, the Happy Prince was equally blind to all the hardship and squalor. But now that his statue stands tall upon a very high column, he's able to gain a new perspective on urban life, and he can see just how hard that life is for the poor and underprivileged. Yet the civic dignitaries so pumped up full of pride because of the glittering statue cannot see this. Their position at the foot of the statue keeps them in a state of ignorance about the harsh realities of urban squalor.
Wilde appears to be urging the Victorian bourgeoisie of his day to open their eyes to what's going on around them, to see the deep, grinding poverty that disfigures the lives of so many in society. It is only by doing so that they will be in a position to take positive steps to improve the lives of the poor and underprivileged in their midst.