Sadly not as uncommon as we think,I know someone in my old work who's wife was so desperate to "keep up with the joneses" that she had a huge argument with them one day and spouted out that her husband had just been promoted to a managerial job in ford.
Que husband then having to wear a suit constantly into work to keep the myth up.
He did this for 25 years even though he never made it above basic grade 3 work ie putting parts into boxes etc.
Very sad I thought.