"Their instinct is to hold on tightly to their material assets and sense of superiority because to lose them, they feel, is to collapse, to become an ordinary person, and to sink into disgrace. Greed and egotistical striving become frantic pursuits designed to avoid this “terrible fate.” Meanwhile, the mental disorder creates the illusion of possessing the keys to fulfillment, happiness, and even life itself." http://www.whywesuffer.com/greed-as-a-mental-health-disorder/