You're right. Silly us. It just ascribes a price tag to everything that slowly rises while your wages don't. Then it effectively locks you in place through pricarious financials.
It doesn't though. Plenty of free things you can do to better your life. Wages are stagnating? Review your career path. Need more skills? Educate yourself further. Need more money? Search for a new job.
The people "trapped" by capitalism are those who allow themselves to become complacent. Statistically, you will see a pay rise by changing employers. Increasing your skill set increases it further.
How do I know this? No diplomma and I make six figures. Take some personal ownership and improve yourself.