tom & jerry is, at its core, a tragedy about the contradictions between the unproletarianized & the proletarianized worker in the foucaultian sense. jerry lives on the margins of the wage system, living rent-free in the wall, sleeping in a sardine tin. for this, he is punished.

who enacts the regime of discipline? not the homeowner, but the worker, tom, acting on his behalf. tom is regularly reminded that his failure to discipline jerry will be, in turn, disciplined with violence and homelessness. he resents jerry for existing outside the wage system

Tom himself occupies an intermediate position: due to his place in the economic caste system, he is forced to accept worse conditions for longer hours and harder work than his counterpart, Spike, the dog. Tom often lashes out, but is incapable of removing himself from the cycle.