(...) To be fair, only Isaak and Samson were present to see Veronica go to town on Kathleen. (...)
True, although I doubt someone like Samson (who like Jim has hots for Kat and likes to comment how sexy she is) would keep his mouth shut.
BTW, besides that hierarchy quote Samson also said (about Dalia):
"Nah, she hangs around the more well-to-do members. Never seen the Empress Whore slum it with a pleb like myself."
(...) Harper tells the MC most patrons don't respect her (...)
Half is not most and Harper is just a whore so anything she says must be taken with a grain of salt because:
a) She's not privy to most conversations / businesses Kat has.
b) Most of the disrespectful things they say about Kat they don't say to her face and they say it while they have their dicks in Harper's mouth bragging how much better they are.
Harper said:
She thinks the old, dead fucks of the club would take her less seriously. Truth be told, half of them don't see her as an equal to begin with..."
And to be honest dick measurement is common among the patrons and they are not equal to begin with so what Harper said seems like a platitude to me. Samson and Isaak know they're not equal while people like Abel and Chuck think they're the top dog.
Sure, people like Otto might not think highly of her (then again Otto doesn't respect Chuck either), some might joke about her (Samson or Jim for example) but in the end they all shut up when she speaks during exhibition (Chuck being the exception). There is a reason why Abel cooperates with her or why Warren is most loyal to her (AFAWK) or why she's one of the co-owners of the club for as long as she is.
I guess that Edwin's comments during their BDSM sex has made almost everyone believe his words but the fact that Kathleen didn't seem fazed by them (even after she returned to her senses) suggests that they're farther from the truth than most might think.
tl;dr
IMO Kathleen is underestimated by most people here. Sure, she doesn't have Chuck's or Abel's accomplishments (and who does?) but she's a top-tier manager with maxed persuasion and manipulation techniques. Also:
"Just a middle-aged woman, over the hill... the wife of an elected official, playing with money your father made... running a charity made by your sister."
Eh... Probably most patrons there are as high as they are thanks to their parent's wealth (Chuck being one of the rare exceptions) and making a charity is nothing to be too proud of if you ask me.