The Expanse season 5 revisits an idea from season 2, proving Earth isn't all it's cracked up to be. Since trying to slaughter the entire Rocinante crew, Clarissa Mao has mended her ways and bonded with Amos Burton remotely, but the unlikely pair finally reunite face-to-face in The Expanse season 5. Amos' prison visit lasts a little longer than he anticipated, however, when Earth is struck by a series of asteroids sent via special, stealthy delivery from Marco Inaros. With Clarissa's body mods taking a heavy toll, Amos has no choice but to take her into his care as Earth's society gradually falls apart.
While Amos and Peaches have been exchanging messages since her incarceration in The Expanse season 3, Earth's current predicament gives them a rare stretch of in-person alone time. Clarissa brings up the fate of her father, Amos touches upon his troubled past and they both muse philosophically over morality in the face of chaos. During their conversations, however, it becomes clear that Clarissa Mao has no idea about the darker side of Earth.
As the daughter of Jules Pierre Mao, Clarissa was as privileged as they come. Fancy soirees, endless money, private education - Clarissa had the very best Earth's (formerly) green shores could offer, and was wealthy enough to have her very expensive body modification fitted. Although the cash dried up once daddy went to jail, Clarissa remains naive and sheltered to the realities of life on Earth. She assumes Amos went on a school field trip to Earth's forest regeneration project and planted a tree there, she doesn't realize she'll be killed if the police catch her, and she trusts strangers in the woods without being suspicious. In truth, Amos was too busy trying to survive in the streets to plant trees, but Clarissa is ignorant to the hand-to-mouth life the likes of Amos faced in Baltimore and elsewhere.
Clarissa's rich girl mindset in The Expanse season 5 is similar to the prejudice Bobbie Draper showed in season 2. Like most Martians, Bobbie was raised with an inherent dislike of the Red Planet's cousins on Earth. As far as Frankie Adams' character was concerned, Earthlings were greedy layabouts who took their planet for granted and didn't share their abundance of resources with the rest of the system. This perspective was true, of course, but not of every Earth dweller. Bobbie only knew about the Clarissa Maos of the Blue Planet, but had no idea about the Amos Burtons until visiting Earth for herself in The Expanse season 2. After bearing the gravity and escaping the confines of her embassy to find the ocean, Bobbie learned of the extreme poverty, hunger and deprivation the many undocumented citizens suffered. As with Clarissa, the cold sting of reality soon bumps Bobbie back down to Earth.
The misconceptions of both Clarissa and Bobbie speak to the extreme class divide on The Expanse's Earth. There is an upper class for whom life is relatively easy but beneath the surface, unbeknownst to many, is an undercurrent of inequality propping up the elite. Crucially, however, Bobbie's experience in The Expanse season 2 changed her. No longer does she adopt the "Earth bad. Mars good." mentality, or presume all Earthers live comfortably. Clarissa still has some way to go, but hitting the road with Amos will no doubt school her on Earth's social injustice just the same.
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