What a dignity it gives an old lady, that balance at the bankers! How tenderly we look at her faults if she is a relative; what a kind, good-natured old creature we find her!

Money quietly edits how people read your character. The same stubbornness that would be called difficult in someone with nothing becomes charming eccentricity in someone with a great deal, and relatives are especially good at making the adjustment when there is an inheritance in view. The affection feels entirely genuine from the inside, which is what makes it worth examining.

Think about which people you find easy to forgive and whether their circumstances have anything to do with it. Then check the reverse: someone you have been hard on who happens to need something from you. Judge them both by the same conduct and see what changes.