On a late-December afternoon, Laura struggles to finish her lesson plans. She goes to the teacher’s lounge for coffee and encounters Sam, reading and sipping tea. What initially appears to be a casual chat about their job quickly turns to a debate on wage fairness. Laura says teachers are underpaid and overworked. Sam disagrees, saying that they aren’t underpaid. He asks her what “underpaid” really is, sparking comparisons between the wages and contributions of CEO’s and professional athletes versus teachers.

Sam argues that the beauty of the free market economic system is that everyone has the option to choose what they want to do with their talents. Laura compares Sam to Dr. Pangloss in Candide and says that “sometimes the best choice that’s available is still ghastly” (44). Sam counters, explaining that wages are largely determined by the labor market and as such merit is not in the eye of an individual beholder but determined on an impersonal larger scale. This bothers Laura because there’s no one in charge of the system to regulate it and ensure its fairness. However, Sam believes that the lack of a leader is a virtue: “In economic systems, having no one in charge disperses power.