The final twist—“people they don’t like”—reveals the emotional cost beneath the financial one. If the audience is not even respected, then the purchase is a kind of self-betrayal: sacrificing resources to win a nod from someone whose opinion, on reflection, shouldn’t matter. This captures a common social dynamic where competition replaces connection.
A small anecdote makes the point: someone buys an expensive car to silence coworkers’ subtle judgments, only to realize they still dread the office and resent the payment. The object didn’t purchase belonging; it only funded an uncomfortable role. [...]
