"Love is cheap. You can buy it anywhere. Lives are cheap. It's money that's dear. You have to work days and sit up nights thinking how to make money"

John Dos Passos, a writer understood for his critical views on American society in the early 20th century, composed this quote to catch the disillusionment and materialism that he observed around him. Let's break down and interpret the numerous elements of this declaration.

The expression "Love is low-cost. You can buy it anywhere", suggests a cynical view of love, implying that it has actually ended up being commodified or easily obtained without real worth or credibility. Such a point of view might reflect the social changes during the age Dos Passos was composing, where conventional worths were being overshadowed by a growing customer culture. Throughout this time, relationships and psychological connections may have started to appear transactional, shaped more by benefit than genuine love.

"Lives are inexpensive" continues this theme of devaluation, most likely referencing the era's socio-economic conditions and possibly showing a wider commentary on human life throughout troubled times, such as post-WWI America or the Great Depression. It could suggest that individuals are viewed as expendable or interchangeable, similar to objects in a marketplace, especially in the face of commercial expansion and war.

"It's cash that's dear. You have to work days and sit up nights thinking how to earn money". Here, Dos Passos contrasts the previous ideas by stressing the vital worth placed on cash. In stating "cash that's dear", he echoes the societal fixation with wealth accumulation and financial success as indicators of worth, driving individuals to toil continually. The persistence needed to "work days and stay up nights" underscores the unrelenting pursuit of economic stability and prosperity, possibly at the expense of individual relationships and one's sense of function.

In general, the quote is a review of the cultural landscape that prizes product wealth over psychological or human connection, pointing to the resulting moral and existential issues dealt with by individuals. Dos Passos invites readers to assess these top priorities and think about the much deeper implications of such a skewed value system.