What kind of life do the prince and his guests lead in their world apart?Edgar Allan Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death"

It is a privileged life that Prince Prospero and his
kinghts and dames of his court live.  The prince and his guests at the masked ball are
wealthy, and, as such, are used to having their desires satisfied.  Obviously, they are
arrogant as they seclude themselves in one of the prince's "castellated abbeys,"
believing that they can, thus, fortify themselves from the Red Death that has devastated
the country. 

In their arrogance, too, they are a "whole
gay company" who pause when the chimes of the clock ring.  Then, they pale and the older
and "sedate" wipe their brows "as if in confused reverie or meditation."  So, in spite
of their wealth and their being fortressed against the Red Death, the revelers are yet
the subjects of Time; they have fear grip their hearts with the passage of Time as, in
their anxiety, they fear the appearance of an unwanted guest.  With each chiming of the
clock, the guests' "dreams are stiff-frozen as they
stand,"

Nevertheless, when the music swells the dreams
again live, and so the revelers keep reality at bay.  At least, until midnight.  For, at
midnight, the guests become aware of a masked figure  which "arrests their attention." 
At the appearance of this uninvited guest, the Prince seems to convulse.  But, after his
shuddering, his brow reddens with rage and terror:

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'Who dares?' he demanded hoarsely of the
courtiers who stand near
him.

The "intruder" passes
the guests and comes closer to Prospero, who raises his dagger.  However, social rank,
wealth, and fortifications hold no power against the Red Death.