something unique about succession's portrayal of the intersection between class and masculinity, as opposed to other media about male-dominated spaces, is its understanding that it's not just about power; it's about the existence of a hierarchy and everyone knowing their place within it. yes, you're technically more powerful the higher up you go, but the attempt to move up, to... succeed, if you will... is a risk often not worth it, as you'll only be pushed further down the ladder if you're not careful.
it's in part the power of stability. in logan's world in particular, the reward that is afforded those who know their place is his approval. the child most profoundly affected by this, of course, is roman:
but there's also the matter of kendall's sense of self being tied to his birth order, to the point that it contradicts reality:
and shiv, who tries and fails to rise from where her womanhood has placed her in her dad's eyes and proceeds to fall flat on her face... and who gets to bond with him through misogyny. she rises up by pushing other women down:
...and think of the events prior to the show, where the CEO role had yet to be dangled over anyone's heads but kendall, where neither roman nor shiv were even involved in the company and they were both simply happy for him to finally, officially move up.
really, prior to logan's near-death and everything getting shaken up, this must have held completely true:
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