Wealth is not distributed solely by market forces. Laws determine property rights, taxation, inheritance, corporate governance and access to public goods. These institutions influence how assets are accumulated and transferred.
Markets create wealth through production and exchange, but political decisions shape the environment in which that wealth is created. This is why debates about inequality often become debates about rules rather than only about income.
Understanding wealth requires following both sides of the ledger: how fortunes are built and how institutions determine who has access to opportunity.