Now that Mr. Goodman has begun, he has to fully state his point.

"We might as well think deeply about this problem, Pleushkin has been greedy for money all his life, it is said that he is reluctant to buy even a new dress, every day he goes to the kitchen and opens all the garbage cans to carefully inspect it, and if he finds even a rotten vegetable leaf, he will be furious, thinking that the cook is wasting his property, this kind of person treats himself so harshly, not to mention that to the people around him, deducting salary is commonplace, and the shoe-shiner cannot pull out a copper plate tip from his hand, even if he has thousands of family wealth, no one wants to be an errand for this miser."

Mr. Goodman took a sip of his tea, and then said: "A man like Plushkin has no trust in anyone, and all his property must be firmly in his hands, and the gold and silver are not deposited in the bank, but in jars and buried in the ground, and he smugly claims that he does not want to be rubbed with oil by the bankers." If everyone followed his example and treated themselves and those around them harshly, then it is to be expected that no one would try to make money from the other, that the shops and restaurants would become crowded and that they would have to close their doors, that the banks would not be able to absorb deposits, that they would not be able to lend money to the factories that were in dire need of money, that the factories would not be able to expand their operations, that goods on the market would become scarce, that economic activity would come to a standstill, and that the whole society would become lifeless, and that it would be a nightmare! ”

Mr. Goodman changed his words and continued to analyze the opposite of Pleuskin: "Let's think about the way of life of the prodigal Nassim, yes, this guy is not morally perfect, he spends lavishly, we don't need to follow his extravagance, but we must admit that when Baron Nassim entertains relatives, friends and even strangers in a high-end restaurant, everyone from the owner of the restaurant to the cousin who runs errands can benefit from it, and earn his fair share of remuneration for the services he provides, and the owner of the restaurant makes a profit. He could buy better ingredients and serve his guests better meals, and the cousin could afford to buy the new pair of leather boots that he had long wanted but had never been able to afford, so that the food and boot shops would also indirectly benefit Nassim...... By extension, when Nassim squandered in the flower streets and even in the casinos, the people around him could share his wealth, and every time Nassim spends, it is like throwing a piece of sugar into the water, and the stirring waves spread outward in a circle, and his wealth is also like melted sugar, scattered to all corners of society with ripples, so that business in all walks of life is active, people are stimulated to produce more and better goods, provide more thoughtful services, and the social economy has become more and more prosperous because of Nassim's profligacy. People's lives are getting better and better. ”

After a lengthy analysis, Mr. Goodman concludes his views with a sonorous and powerful statement.

"In the final analysis, Pleuskin's 'simplicity and frugality' is no good for others or for himself, the so-called moral model is nothing but a phantom of wishful thinking, Nassim's 'extravagance' ruined his own health, overdrawn the happiness of his old age, but made a great contribution to the revitalization of the social economy and the narrowing of the gap between the rich and the poor, his life was a life of self-sacrifice, such as the debauchery of life did not detract from his greatness, why was it wrong for His Highness Frank to send him hospice care?"

Mr. Goodman's brilliant remarks immediately provoked two diametrically opposed reactions in the living room of the Weinstein house.

Alberton Jr. gave a standing ovation and hugged his father excitedly as a way to show that he fully agreed with him. Mathilde, Brittany, and Sophia all sneered and criticized Mr. Goodman's remarks as shocking and unreasonable.

Palatina was perplexed by Mr. Goodman's opinion, and every word of his words seemed to make sense, but the final conclusion was so bizarre that it was completely contrary to conventional wisdom. Confused, Palatina subconsciously looked at Roland to see how he would react. However, Roland's calm demeanor did not show a tendency to support or oppose, which made her feel more and more confused.

This argument that took place in the living room gave Roland a deeper understanding of the state of mind of the upper class society in the Holy City. In the eyes of the Weinsteins, whose men supported Frank and the women who supported Gregory, these two opposing views reflected the opposition between the spirit of capitalism and traditional religious morality.

The women of the Weinstein family were deeply influenced by traditional beliefs, supporting Gregory from an emotional point of view, and more subsidizing with the Plyushkin morality of "thrift". Although their lifestyle in reality may not conform to the principle of "thrift and simplicity", at least ideologically they believe that it is the right outlook on life, and occasionally they will find out their conscience, feel guilty for their extravagant behavior, and go to church to repent and eliminate the above self-blame and repair their mental health.

Goodman and Alberton Jr., father and son industrialists and bourgeois intellectuals who stood ahead of their time, supported Frank's views out of reason. Goodman's brilliant exposition that "luxury and waste is beneficial to economic growth" is actually advocating a "Keynesian" view of consumption, the essence of which is to reveal the basic law of the national economy that "demand determines supply, and consumption leads production".

Roland observes the Weinstein family's state of mind from an outsider's point of view, but he is also leisurely. Miss Brittany, however, did not allow him to stay out of the way, and suddenly tugged at his sleeve and asked in a serious manner: "Roland, you have to judge, Plyushkin or Nassim, whose way of life is more commendable?" ”

"Well...... In my opinion, simplicity and pleasure are not bad things, but simplicity to the point of miser, pleasure to the point of a loser is not worth advocating, the key is moderation, if Plyushkin and Nassim's outlook on life is reconciled, it would be the best. Roland replied unhurriedly.

His tepid view of the mean, of course, could not please the young people on both sides of the argument, but it unexpectedly made a good impression on the Weinsteins.

As the night wore on, Roland and Palatine took their leave, and the couple gave their opinions on the young man as they chatted privately.

"In the social circle of the upper class of the Holy City, it is rare to have a young man as stable as him." Goodman said of Roland.

"After all, he has just come to the holy city from the Far East, and he still retains the simple temperament of a rural youth." Mathilde echoed with a smile.

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