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Why do I want to look richer than I am

You choose a restaurant that exceeds your budget. You talk about a trip you are still paying for, though no one asked. A brief relief follows, and under it something tired.

The carriage in the Park

Chapter thirty-six of Thackeray's Vanity Fair is called «How to Live Well on Nothing A-Year». It opens with a common habit of suspicion and envy:

«wonder how his neighbour Jones, or his neighbour Smith, can make both ends meet»

— W. M. Thackeray, Vanity Fair, chapter XXXVI

He introduces the Jenkinses, who drive through the Park in a large barouche with grenadier-footmen. The narrator knows the carriage is hired, not owned. He continues to watch it regardless.

The audience

The Jenkinses do not ride for the experience of the trip, but to be seen by people like the narrator. The narrator, counting their income, is doing the same sum about himself. Both parties live as if facing an audience.

The desire to appear wealthier is seldom about the money itself. It is a message intended for specific people: a parent with high expectations, a former classmate, or a social circle where you felt like an outsider. The hired carriage only functions while these people are watching, and Thackeray does not advise the Jenkinses to stop.

Beyond the show

He only shows how much of their life goes to the street. Without the public view, the barouche is simply an expensive place to sit.

Who exactly do I want to look richer in front of?

Epimelea is an app built around the existential school. The conversation carries over from one meeting to the next. The archive is encrypted on the device and belongs to the person who wrote it.

About the app: an AI therapist for long-term therapy

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