Less Than Zero

Ellis's characters are uniformly wealthy. Does this make it difficult for the reader to empathize with them, or can the reader feel empathy for them in other ways, for different reasons?

Less Than Zero was made into a 20th Century Fox film by British film director Marek Kanievska. In the film version, Clay is not a drug user and tries to rescue his friends from their addictions. Why might the director have made this substantive change to the character, and what effects does this choice have on those who have read the book and view the film?

The novel does not show Clay returning to New Hampshire, nor does it feature a resolution of the relationship between Blair and Clay in the form of either ending or reviving their relationship. Does the novel exhibit a resolution? If not, why not? If so, how?