Breakdown:

1. The Story of the Egg Vendor and the Wealthy Woman:
   • The passage begins with a story about an elderly man selling eggs on the street. A woman approaches him and haggles over the price, demanding six eggs for $2.00, far below the asking price. The old man, desperate for any sale, agrees, even though it significantly undercuts his price. The woman leaves, feeling triumphant, as if she secured a deal.
2. The Contrast of Generosity in Different Contexts:
   • Shortly after, the same woman enters a luxury restaurant, where she spends $40 on food, much of which goes uneaten. She leaves a $10 tip without hesitation, showing generosity in a setting where wealth is abundant. The stark contrast between her treatment of the poor egg vendor and the wealthy restaurant owner highlights a troubling societal behavior.
3. The Moral Disparity:
   • The story points to a common tendency: people often bargain with those who are poor and struggling, while showing excessive generosity to the rich and those who don’t need it. This disparity in behavior reveals a deeper issue of how society values different people based on their perceived status.
4. The Question of Fairness:
   • The narrative asks why individuals feel powerful or victorious when haggling with the poor but are freely generous with the wealthy. It suggests that the societal norms around spending and generosity are imbalanced, favoring those who are already well-off and neglecting those who need help the most.
5. A Lesson from the Father:
   • The passage concludes with a lesson passed down from the narrator’s father: “Spend money to build your character, but don’t spend your character to make money.” This statement emphasizes the importance of using wealth to enrich one’s ethical and moral character, rather than using cunning or unfair practices to accumulate wealth at the expense of others.
6. Reflection on Ethical Spending:
   • The story serves as a call to reflect on how we treat people based on their economic status and challenges us to reconsider how we distribute generosity. It highlights the importance of fairness and compassion in everyday transactions, especially when dealing with those less fortunate.

This breakdown explores the ethical implications of the story, focusing on the contrast between how people treat the poor versus the wealthy, and the lesson of spending money in ways that build character.