The neighbor's behavior makes him constantly think about a paradox. Poor people are sometimes the most wasteful people. Not because they have a lot to spend, but because they drop the value of the things they own. That wastefulness creeps into each habit such as throwing away a shirt that can still be worn because it's "old", buying cheap items that quickly break down instead of repairing, or spending money on temporary things to compensate for the feeling of deprivation. Outwardly, it's an economic choice, but deeper, it's a complex psychological structure.
From the perspective of psychologist Carl Jung, humans always carry within them "darkness" (The Shadow), parts that are rejected or suppressed. For the poor, that "darkness" is often a feeling of lack of value, lack of control and fear of being looked down upon. When they cannot control the great circumstances of fate, they seek to control small things such as throwing away, buying new, spending, as a way to assert their right to choose.
He once met a technology driver with unstable income, but every half year he exchanged an old phone for a newer one. Not because the machine broke down, but because he said he was holding an old phone, the customer saw him and felt bored. Here, consumption is no longer a material need but a form of psychological defense. Jung calls it "compensation": When the ego feels deprived inside, it will find a way to fill it with flashy symbols outside to reassure itself.
Deeper, wastefulness is sometimes an unconscious self-punishment. When someone believes that they are not worthy of long-term good things, they will not preserve them, will not accumulate them. They throw away not only objects, but also opportunities for change. Jung once said: "What we do not realize will control our lives like a destiny". And that destiny sometimes takes the shape of a set of sofas thrown away too early.
Of course, poverty makes choices narrow. But within that narrowness, how people treat objects accurately reflects how they treat themselves. Keeping something usable is not just about saving, but an act of appreciation. Perhaps, big change does not start from how much more money you earn, but from looking back: We are unconsciously throwing away things just because we think they are not good enough, just like the way we sometimes treat our own lives.
