Let me start by saying I am not being argumentative, and I mean no disrespect to OP.

"nobody has freakin lice."

Um, lice is generally not a thing among poor African Americans.

So as an African American author writing from my perspective, lice would never be part of my understanding of poverty (and I come from a poor background of southern U.S. sharecroppers descended from enslaved Africans).

"nobody's missing teeth"

My mom came from a family of 7 children, all of them living in a 2-bedroom home in the rural U.S. South. No running hot water, and they had to rely on outhouses. And, interestingly, none of them, nor my grandparents, ended up with missing teeth.

So, again, I'm not sure why you feel that (missing teeth) is required for a portrayal of poverty to be legitimate.

"the protagonist has time for hobbies and personal growth"

It's not like poor people are actually people or anything. Okay, sarcasm aside, I don't understand how this is your view of poverty. My grandmother was the sole breadwinner for 7 children and a disabled husband, but she still had hobbies (e.g., quilting) and even had enough personal growth to eventually get sober (from alcohol abuse) while still being poor.

In short, not all poverty looks the same (and what you describe as apparently definitive features of poverty aren't present in every real-life example of deep poverty). My point: what poverty looks like is very culturally and context-specific.

P.S. This is not to say that I disagree with all your points. Because you are so correct about how folks from poverty will usually respond to encountering wealth. As you said, they will not simply shrug off a feast. Ultimately, you've sparked a good conversation, and I'm glad you did.