This story by Charles Johnson explores the theme that wealth brings power. Two brothers break into the apartment of an elderly, reclusive neighbor. The woman, who has been living in squalor, lies dead in bed. In her living room are cash and other valuables worth over a million dollars, which they quickly move to their own apartment. The younger brother looks forward to the better life money will bring. However, he is overruled by his older brother, who suffers the same strange reluctance to spend any of it as the old woman had. Other themes include hoarding, paranoia, isolation, poverty.
The title comes from the Marxist concept of commodities having both a use-value and an exchange-value. Cooter wants to spend the money to enjoy its use-value. For Miss Bailey and Loftis, spending any of the money would reduce their total exchange-value (wealth), and the power that supposedly comes with it.
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