But isn’t it more praiseworthy to help a lot of people than to live expensively? Isn’t spending money on people much more noble than spending it on wood and stones? Isn’t it much more worthwhile to have a lot of friends (as a result of doing good deeds cheerfully) than to have a big house? What benefits from having a big and beautiful house could match those that could be derived from using one’s possessions to help one’s city and its citizens?