Status Updates From Cannery Row (Cannery Row, #1)

"It has always seemed strange to me,' said Doc. "The things we admire in men, kindness & generosity, openess, honesty, understanding & feeling are the concomitants of failure in our system. And those traits we detest, sharpness, greed, acquisitiveness, meanness, egotism & self-interest are the traits of success. And while men admire the quality of the first they love the produce of the second."