Some people are born rich or moderately rich, some are born middle class and some are born poor or extremely poor. All these conditions come along with a set of survival guides that the parents, relatives and even teachers will pass along as a map of life. For example, in a school of a country that does not give opportunity to its people, where most of the students are poor, it is unlikely that the teachers will induce them to think big or have big dreams...more likely they will aim to keep them apart from drugs, avoid problems with the government and try to imbue some basic skill for life. The ultra-poor do not even get that - which actually may be better.
In a preppy school, where most of the students are rich-born, the conversation is quite different. Culture, life, opportunity, spirit-de-corps and class mentality are imbued in the same manner, so the kids will somehow justify in their minds that they have the right to be rich even if they have not done anything for anyone in their lives - perhaps not even for themselves - because of some Darwinian property of cosmos.
As a result, the poor and even middle class have to jump over one real barrier, their lack of funds, and more importantly, like the Elephant that learns young that he cannot break the chains and never tries again, over their own state of mind, their own prison set by the terms of those who trying to help taught them to avoid anything but doing the same that keeps them poor.
In practice, there are indeed some cases where poor people can change their fate up to 180 degrees. We certainly have heard success stories where they come from poor families but managed to turn things around with effort and hard work. But these cases are just a few of the many, who are still in the cycle of poverty. In fact, there are still many people who remain in poverty without being able to change their lives.
The most fatal cause why people remain in poverty is surrender to the situation. They feel that their situation is something that cannot be changed, and they will continue to be in poverty no matter what. The thought then makes them have no desire to try to make things better. They even start blaming other people, like the government or the rich people out there.
If that's the case, then it's no wonder that the cycle of poverty is difficult to break from their lives. Indeed, there is no guarantee that they will succeed in getting out of poverty by trying. But at least by trying there is still a chance to be successful, whereas if we don't do anything then we have no chance at all.