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<p>I still don’t see why moving to a smaller, less expensive house after you no longer need a bigger, more expensive house is “looking old or defeated or obsolete”. The fact that he cares about what other people think of the house (or other non-work lifestyle spending) does indicate that there is some sort of status symbol type of thing going on (i.e. that choosing a smaller house is seen as a symbol of being “old or defeated or obsolete” even if it has nothing to do with one’s work performance).</p>