Capitalism always works. During the pandemic, people saved money because their opportunities to spend it were diminished. That cushion made people less dependent on their jobs. Quiet-quitting followed, as well as a renewal of interest in unions. The solution? Greedflation. Prices increased, but spending did not. Why? People used their savings to pay the higher prices. Once those cushions were depleted, workers became more obedient and tolerant of harsh work conditions.
The issue with the middle class is that they are subject to the most heady of control systems: they are required to work hard, and they are rewarded with all the comfort that their civilization can technically offer. All people value that for which they have worked. They value the system which justly recognizes the value of their hard work. If the middle class were simply given comfort, they could not value it in the same way.
The middle class is therefore fundamentally loyal to the system that made them comfortable. When middle class youth engage in protest activities, it is not to bring about fundamental change which might put their comfort at risk. It is to manicure that system.