> purely because they had enough money to buy housing The nominal assumption is that they must have earned that by providing someone with something of value to

> purely because they had enough money to buy housing The nominal assumption is that they must have earned that by providing someone with something of value to them. The money they receive is a formal/cultural recognition of their indebtedness -- that they have provided something useful but have not receive anything of material value in return. Money is a way of claiming something useful in return for something they had provided, but separated in time and place. Of course this is the theoretical and intended mechanism. It does get subverted in many ways when one earns money without providing anyone with anything materially useful. Inheritance can be interpreted as one such. Although it can be interpreted charitably too -- dont compensate me for the goods and services I provided , I am dead, compensate Saul instead.