You can usually tell how dirty a rich guy’s hands are by how tightly he holds on to his money.

People like Bill Gates, Stephen King and Sandra Bullock give so much to charity because, on some level, they feel guilty for having so much while so many have so little; they feel like maybe the only difference between themselves and somebody with nothing, is the fact that they had the opportunity to put their talents to work, and the time – and timing – to allow that hard work to pay off.

The wealthy people who will do almost anything to avoid parting with a dollar they can find a way to keep are, somewhere inside, aware that their money came at the expense of the lives or livelihoods of others. That’s why they value it so much – they feel that they have to have something to show themselves for all the damage they did, something that made it worthwhile. To lose that money would be to have fucked over somebody else for nothing.

Let’s call this “Lady MacBeth Syndrome,” shall we?