"Money Follows Greed", about Cannery Row by John Steinbeck

In the book Cannery Row by John Steinbeck, a character named Doc states, "The things we admire in men, generosity, openness, honesty, understanding, and feeling are the concomitants of failure in our system, and those traits we detest, sharpness, greed, acquisitiveness, meanness, egotism, and self-interest are the traits of success." This proclamation is one of the most unfortunate but true things about our society. Success is commonly defined as the amount of wealth one can amass. The easiest way to acquire wealth is to keep to yourself, trust no one, and hoard your dividends. …