People there went from bottom to top — show character (5)
I believe the answer is:
ethos
'character' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
I can't explain the rest of the clue.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for ethos that I've seen before include "Moral character" , "Distinctive principles of an era, group, etc" , "Spirit (of a group, say)" , "Characteristic standards of those" , "Distinctive traits of a culture, time etc" .)