Much of the tension in the novel arises from Eliot’s fixation on equality, while his family members view themselves as superior to others precisely because they are rich. When Eliot is in the Vashti firehouse, he proposes to “some idlers” the idea of government-sanctioned distribution of wealth, “instead of some people having more than they could ever use, and others having nothing” (38). His sense of injustice typically focuses on the contrast between people who have too little to survive and those with more than they could ever use. This inequality produces suffering, and Eliot cannot abide unnecessary suffering.

In his letter to his eventual successor, Eliot writes of a mistake made by the Founding Fathers: “Those sadly recent ancestors had not made it a law of the Utopia that the wealth of each citizen should be limited” (8). He describes the root of inequality in terms of whether people have access to “The Money River” (121), where the wealth of the nation flows. The wealthiest people have the easiest access to the Money River. They teach their children how to exploit their wealth as well. The secret to dynastic wealth is knowing that the Money River exists.