Beginning of Essay
"Greed is good. Greed is right. Greed works." If any three simple sentences could sum up the 80s, those are probably the ones. The 1980s were an age of illusions, one that was hedonistic in nature and self-loathing in practice. As Haynes Johnson recalls, it was ....

Middle of Essay
.... greed is bad. Economist George Gilder would say that individuals like Gekko who pursue only their self-interests are led, "as by an invisible hand," toward a greater welfare state. He says that people pursuing self-interest demand comfort and security and that they don't take the risks that result in growth and achievement. At the start of Wall Street, Bud Fox is young and very naïve about the business world. He is a typical broker seeking new clients and offering second-hand advice regarding the buying and selling of stock. “Just once I’d like to be on that side,” he says, dreaming of the day when he will be a corporate big shot control ....