For the Love of Money

As I was looking through online British news I came across an article titled, "Leaks reveal secrets of the rich who hide cash offshore".  As I read this article, I instantly think of the novel, Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy.  One character in particular that stands out to me when I think of "the rich" and that is Eustacia Vye. 
Eustacia not only stood out to me because of this article, but because of her self-centered role in the novel.  Right from the beginning she conveys that she is not happy enough with one man so she moves on to another and when he cannot give her what she wants, she of course moves onto yet another man.  Although her husband tries to convince her that they do not need a life out of the ordinary, she constantly contradicts him by never being happy where she is at.  She is never content throughout the novel.  This comes into play especially in terms of money.  She wants to be spoiled and will do whatever she can to be spoiled.  I'm sure you have heard the saying, "Money cannot buy happiness".  Well, in Eustacia's mind, it sure can!
As I was reading the novel, I wondered whether it was just the character Eustacia that had this attitude and outlook on life or if there are others that portray these characteristics as well.  As I thought about it, it seemed obvious to me that I am surrounded with people like that today as well.  This article confirmed my thoughts as I found out that people from the Phillipines, China, Iran, and even the United States were involved in this offshore cash hiding.  Why are people still today so obsessed with money?  Will these attitudes ever change?  Through reading this article and finding that still today, people are obsessed with such an earthly matter as money, Hardy did a fantastic job in capturing the realistic character of Eustacia.  Although it is hard to admit at times, our world today is and always will be obsessed with money and the "earthly pleasures" it brings us.