"Friendship and money: oil and water"

Friendship and money occupy distinct realms of human experience, often embodying conflicting sets of values. Puzo’s words evoke the image of oil and water, two substances that may temporarily inhabit the same space but inevitably separate, never fully blending into a unified whole. The implication is that financial dealings carry an inherent risk to the fragile fabric of friendship, threatening its integrity by introducing expectations, obligations, and the possibility of resentment.

Money brings considerations of power, debt, and transactional exchange. It can alter dynamics between friends, sometimes subtly, sometimes irreparably. Lending or borrowing money may cast a shadow of imbalance over a relationship, causing discomfort or even suspicion. A friend who offers financial help might feel entitled to certain behaviors, or assume a role of superiority. Conversely, the recipient may experience indebtedness or shame. What unites friends is usually mutual trust, shared values, and a sense of equality, qualities undermined when monetary considerations enter the equation.

Financial interests can also provoke conflicts of loyalty and honesty. When money is involved, personal integrity may be put to the test. Self-interest may motivate actions or advice that run counter to the well-being of the friend, turning relationships into arenas for negotiation and competition rather than support and cooperation. The introduction of monetary concerns can erode the purity of intention that characterizes genuine friendship.

Moreover, the metaphor suggests an idealism about friendship: that it is not to be diluted with external substances like profit or material gain. True companionship thrives in an environment free from calculation or expectation, where generosity is spontaneous and reciprocal, not measured. While occasional exceptions might exist, the general rule stands, when friendship and money mix, their essential differences rise to the surface. Like oil and water, they may coexist temporarily, but their fundamental natures remain distinct, inclined to separation, and resistant to genuine integration.