The buddha's entrance into a town is described as

they were unable to pay their debts

the east coast has nothing to do with the dust bowl, the dust bowl killed a full year's worth of crops in seconds, and with the dust on the land, the land would be worthless.   furthermore the farmers couldn't  get  out of their houses due to the dust so when the bank came to collect money, farmers couldn't  pay it

so they can differentiate themselves from others as they saw themselves as the superior race. the star was basically a symbol that meant you are a less of a person than i am because of my race. the star was also degrading for those who had to wear it because they were aware of this and the nazis used the notion to make them feel less like a person.

your answer is a hope this