An old work memory.

I used to work at a place that was perverse in its management. When I started there, I was young and idealistic. I didn't understand Dilbert. After working there, I got the joke, and I made the jokes, and I was described as sardonic by someone with a better vocabulary than mine.

I worked for peanuts compared to my value, and I lived cheap. After getting a couple of raises, my expenses hadn't changed much. My bank account swelled.

One day, Management decides that the payroll is an expense too large, and they tell the employees to be careful about working overtime. While relaying this, a middle manager suggested that I need to learn to live within my means.

In response, I pulled from my bag my last paycheck, uncashed. Then I pulled out two more. I hadn't deposited any of the company's money for over a month and a half.

I told him that I worked overtime because the tasks assigned to me required it, not because I needed the money.

I heard later that a less valuable employee had been stopped in the hall for a discussion of his two minutes of overtime in the previous two week pay period. I didn't ask how long the discussion was, but I assume it was longer than two minutes.