In "The Winter of Our Discontent," John Steinbeck explores the complex relationship between wealth and character. He suggests that the way a person behaves in poverty can foreshadow how they will act when they acquire riches. A person who is envious in their financial struggles may display snobbery when they attain wealth, indicating that their fundamental flaws remain unchanged regardless of their economic status.

Steinbeck emphasizes that having money does not cure the underlying issues a person faces; it merely brings those issues to the surface in different forms. Thus, wealth can amplify existing character defects rather than transform them. The author warns that the same traits that lead to poor handling of poverty will persist in the face of newfound riches.