Technology plays such an important part in "The Big Money" because
             rapidly changing technology played such an important part in American
             culture in the early 20th century. Suddenly, people were surrounded by new
             and dizzying technologies such as the airplane, the automobile, widespread
             phone and electrical service, and fast-moving assembly lines to get these
             new products to market more quickly. It was a time of tremendous growth
             and change in America and in American business, but it was also a time of
             tremendous growth in wealth across the nation. Some of these inventions
             were making some people incredibly wealthy - at the expense of many others.
             Two of the characters in "The Big Money" typify these brash young
             entrepreneurs, who make wads of money in the stock market, and are the
             foundation for corporate and personal greed and excess in our country.
             Charley Anderson is an alcoholic aviation engineer who makes a killing in
             the stock market. He is quite successful in his business, but miserable in
             his personal life. "Charley wouldn't eat anything. Bill ate up both their
             steaks. Charley kept on drinking whiskey out of a bottle he had under the
             table and beer for chasers. 'But tell me . . . your wife, does she let you
             have it any time you want it''" (Dos Passos 310). Margo Dowling is a stock
             speculator and actress. Both become wildly successful in the stock market,
             and both begin to live life to excess. All of the characters feel better
             when they have money, and it seems to give them all some kind of false
             sense of security, even though it can be taken away at any moment, as the
             crash of the stock market shows. These people may be rich, but they are
             morally poor, and the technologies of the day all helped build upon this
             foundation of greed and need that plagued the wealthy of the day. In the
             end, neither Margo or Charley are happy because of their money, and their
             ...