Money vs. Happiness

As old as time, this theme is apparent throughout the book, Monkey Business. John Rolfe and Peter Troob, along with their fellow MBA graduates, are enchanted with the idea of moving into careers which promise huge income and are therefore committed to doing whatever it takes to becomes successful in those chosen careers. Corporations and financial institutions which employ them, moreover, are only too happy to accommodate their desires. A symbiotic relationship is thus formed, albeit woefully one-sided. In return for obscene salaries and promises of a concurrent lifestyle, investment banking associates must virtually subordinate all aspects of their personal lives to the demands for production of pitch books and prospectuses. The question becomes as follows: How much personal happiness is one willing to defer in the pursuit of money and for how long is one willing to sacrifice happiness in order to reach a career...