"You think we live on the rich, rather than with them; and so we do, in a sense-but it's a privilege we have to pay for! We eat their dinners, and drink their wine, and smoke their cigarettes, and use their carriages and their opera-boxes and their private cars-yes, but there's a tax to pay on every on of those luxuries. The man pays it by big tips to the servants, by playing cards beyond his means, by flowers and presents....the girl pays it by tips and cards too...and always keeping herself fresh and exquisite and amusing!" (281).

Bart brings up an interesting point. The rich, even though they have a lot and should share with those who do not, share with the expectation that they will be paid back. It is almost as if they are Indian Givers. Each gift they give comes with a price. Americans today similarly struggle with debt. Credit card companies promise people what they want without having to pay for it...right away. What people don't realize is that they are getting into debt. People are paying off student loans far into their adulthood; some Americans spend their entire lives trying to get themselves out of debt.