A rose for Emily

I think this is true to an extent. Check out the GradeSaver themes page:

http://www.gradesaver.com/short-stories-of-william-faulkner/study-guide/themes

Miss Emily is the daughter of a wealthy white family which would be typical of the Southern aristocracy before the Civil War. These people were treated as "better" than the other people. As aristocrats, they were granted special privileges such as the dispensation of taxes which is referred to by the gray beards on the council