It sucks to be middle class in Hong Kong, it's that simple. The cost of living and the political status make it one of the unhappiest places in the world. Especially for people coming from the top tier countries (aka English-speaking world), finding themselves away from home, stuck in the same class with some of the most miserable people on earth, I understand the frustration. You can still have a good life there if you make a decent living, but unfortunately it doesn't happen to the people in this industry anymore. There are many bright people in Hong Kong, but being in the middle class, along with millions of other angry locals, you are not likely to meet them. There are nature reserves, but you are probably too overworked to learn about where they are. The only image of Hong Kong in your brain is how the company treats its staff, so you choose not to assimilate and adapt. Once you get off on the wrong foot, everything else that follows will most likely turn out negative. Of course people don't care, because what makes you more important than they are, and the millions of others that are struggling to afford a place to live. Of course they are fixated on their iPhones, because reality sucks. Being middle class in Hong Kong is like being lower class in many other countries. Yes, it's sad, but what can we do, that's just how their society works. You'll see problems in any culture anywhere you go. All I can say is, there are far worse places out there in the world (where you probably wouldn't even lay eyes on). It's a living hell for some people. But for those coming from certain places in Southeast Asia or South America, it's paradise. Nobody forced anyone to accept the job when you could simply say no to the Ts & Cs in the beginning. I'm not a big fan of the Cantonese language myself, but if you've lived somewhere for years and the local language still sounds alien to you, I feel sorry for you. Let's remember, Hong Kong is one of the very few places in Asia where you can get by just fine with speaking only English. We seem to sometimes take that for granted as well. It is all up to you to put it into perspective. And I hope everybody eventually reaches his/her ultimate goal in the industry. Cheers.