Money – sweeter than honey but so destructive. It makes a man's life easier, while its absence imprisons him in the streets of penury. This elevates his social status, while his absence leaves him unnoticed. This gives him an aura of superiority and importance among others, while its lack makes him worthless in the eyes of society. Considering these two paths, most do not take more than a second to decide to chase wealth. Blinded by the self-destructive American dream of "Marie Antoinette's music salons and dining rooms" and "toilets of pure, dull gold", most murder their morals and harm others in the process (Fitzgerald 5.91). Whether one is rich or poor, two things can be assured: the poor want to be rich and the rich do not want to be poor. The result is a "rotten crowd" that has no real value, as it demoralizes itself to prosper economically, not realizing that the crusty dollar bills will have no value in its grave (Fitzgerald 8.154). Amid economic depression, the thirst for wealth cannot be quenched; the need for copper coins is as persistent as snow during a Chicago winter. Desperate, hungry and maybe even angry, the former farmers of the 1930s, who lost everything to the dust and demonic claws of the capitalist bank, take the easy way out and become "part of the monster" who tore them from their homes. ripped away every last bit of self-sufficiency they clung to and, more importantly, destroyed the unity of their families (Steinbeck 5.48). Without thinking twice, they throw their ethics into the roaring flames, becoming nothing more than puppets who crush other people's dreams, independence, and families. Victims become abusers, destroying the values ​​they once cherished - all for "three dollars..." .... middle of paper ...... setting boundaries. In a time like this, we should be focusing on unifying our society and stabilizing its morals, but instead we are allowing greed to consume our lives. Steinbeck and Fitzgerald can agree on one thing: money has a detrimental effect on humanity. As flawed human beings, we will do anything to be part of the rich mass of our capitalist economy, and those who are already part of it will do anything not to leave it. We value money more than morality, simply because it is physical. We forget that in the end, money will be worth nothing, but our characters – what we believe in, what we value and what we act by – will be etched in the minds of all who knew us , or by Chance, like us with Gatsby, hear about us.Works CitedFitzgerald, FS 1925. The Great Gatsby. New York: Scribner. Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. Penguin USA, 1939. print.