There are a couple of lines in the book which I think succinctly sum up what's wrong with the world. The book as a whole can be seen as call to arms to put things right.
"There's something wrong with our world."
"Somehow the ideals of friendliness, neighborliness, and justice have vanished."
"To be replaced by a cult of greed, shortsightedness and whatever you can get away with."
These lines are pretty much the manifesto on which of the Doctorow books I've read are based.