Brewster’s Millions · Chapter
X: Napoleon of Finance explained
Monty, now engaged to Barbara Drew, struggles to spend enough money to meet the inheritance terms.
What happens
Monty, now engaged to Barbara Drew, struggles to spend enough money to meet the inheritance terms. He decides to make a bold stock market gamble in Lumber and Fuel Common, buying ten thousand shares through his friend Elon Gardner. The initial purchase causes a sensation and drives the price up, but a false rumor of a strike ending briefly sends it higher. Panicked, Monty orders Gardner to sell, ultimately clearing $58,550, though the experience reveals his financial desperation and the strain of his secret mission.
Themes in this chapter
- Wealth and Extravagance
Monty's lavish spending on dinners and flowers is criticized by society, and his stock gamble is another extravagant attempt to meet the inheritance terms.
- Friendship and Loyalty
Elon Gardner loyally executes Monty's risky order despite strong personal and professional objections, showing the strain of friendship under financial pressure.
- The Absurdity of Wealth
Monty's desperate need to lose money leads him to a stock market gamble that ironically makes him a profit, highlighting the absurd constraints of his inheritance challenge.
Characters to notice
- Montgomery Brewster
Engaged to Barbara Drew but distracted by the challenge of spending $16,000 a day; devises a risky stock market scheme to prove his business acumen.
- Barbara Drew
Sees Monty often but senses a change in his attitude; receives daily flowers from him but feels his affection is now complacent.
- Elon Gardner
Monty's broker and friend; strongly advises against the Lumber and Fuel gamble but reluctantly executes the order, later celebrating the apparent success.
- Colonel Drew
Barbara's father; initially impressed by Monty's stock market 'masterstroke' but grows anxious when Monty hesitates to sell.
- Peggy Gray
Her gentle questions about Monty's profligacy cut him deepest, reflecting her honest concern and the shame he feels in her eyes.
- Mrs. Dan DeMille
Openly criticizes Monty's spending, contributing to the social pressure that drives him to seek redemption through business.
Key passages
“He could not go on forever with his dinners. People were already beginning to refer to the fact that he was warming his toes on the Social Register, and he had no desire to become the laughing stock of the town.”
Monty realizes he cannot sustain his extravagant dinner parties without becoming a social joke.
Reflects his growing awareness of public scrutiny and the need for a new strategy to spend money.
“With all the cunning and craftiness of a general he laid his plans for the attack.”
Monty meticulously strategizes his stock market venture as if preparing for battle.
Highlights his determination to prove his business acumen despite the underlying absurdity of his mission.
“Gardner, dazed and weak, began selling, and finally liquidated the full line at prices ranging from 114 to 112½, but Montgomery Brewster had cleared $58,550, and all because it was he and not the market that got excited.”
Despite the market's volatility, Monty's panicked sell order nets him a profit, ironically due to his own excitement rather than market logic.
Emphasizes the ironic outcome of his gamble and the tension between his financial success and his need to lose money.
