how has the wholeness of the town been disrupted? what does the way the town usually operates refer to?

Kino finding the pearl disrupts the wholeness of the town. People begin to gossip and the relationships, which Kino and Juana have cultivated, become strained and shifted. Some people expect things from Kino and others are jealous. The town usually operates on the fact that everybody is on the same level. They share in their poverty and their contentment.