No offense, but I thought that story was messed up. What kind of man forces his wife to live in poverty to take care of him for 7 years so he can be free to r

No offense, but I thought that story was messed up. What kind of man forces his wife to live in poverty to take care of him for 7 years so he can be free to read his books? I understand that wasn't the point of the story, but it was hard to ignore.