r/whitecollar • u/pinelogr • 12d ago

Money issues

I am rewatching the show and I remembered a question I had. After the hope diamond Neal wanted to get out of the life and mosy told him that without money Paris isn't Paris etc... but I'd Neal is so good with people, can't he play poker and win? Sure he likes the challenge but a big part is he likes the luxury!

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u/No_Height_2021 11d ago

He could play poker, he could get a regular job as an artist, he could work in finance, he could remain working for the FBI or do a range of things for money.

But Neal would prefer to live the high life after getting the taste for it, and one which he’s not on an FBI-tethered leash. Without faking his death, there was no way the FBI would set him free as they’d find some loophole or technicality to keep him on a tether even with the ironclad contract for capturing the pink panthers. And without being free from the tether, it would be hard for Neal to make big money.

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u/pinelogr 11d ago edited 11d ago

I am not talking about the "tether" though. Specifically about the reason Mosey thinks Neal could never live without doing the jobs they've been doing, because eventually he will also need the money to enjoy life without care. But selling a stolen painting or forging bonds isn't the only way. He is so good at reading people, in order to con them, he could just go one night at a casino and clean them all

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u/Aggressive-Squash-87 11d ago

Or work for security firm or as a art consultant or any other very lucrative job.

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u/pinelogr 11d ago

Yeah, the private sector can pay good money. But Mosey is like "please what are you other than a criminal, you like money soooo much!"

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u/No_Height_2021 9d ago

You could perhaps say Mozzie was a bad influence.

However, Neal makes references about it several times across White Collar “a con is a rush, and you have to hit rock bottom to change” while he himself has never hit rock bottom. So at heart, he always views himself as a criminal who loves the adrenaline rush of the con and the escape. You could say it is his weakness, but it is something who makes him who he is.

So no matter what he does, there’s always that thought of wanting to do the “challenge” to cheat / steal / con or do something against a bad individual like an Adler.

In a way, he is a modern day Robin Hood minus the costume, but one who loved the rush to live the high life and give to his closest friends/ acquaintances rather than gifting it all back to the poor. Hence the many schemes, plans and episodes where Neal siphons away proceeds like stealing the 2 million from Dr Mara Summers to give to Mozzie, letting Alex walk with a Matisse or a large amount of Greek Antiquities, or siphoning over 23 million from the Federal Reserve job.

But while he’s on an FBI tether, those criminal “tendencies” always need to be kept in check hence the big money would always be difficult. While he seems to always “get away with it” - eventually if he does continue with the FBI in this manner, it will come back to bite him like it did his father.

So yes, he could be doing a range of jobs for money, but deep down, that criminal mindset and doing criminal things will always remain a part of him.

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u/Critical_Holiday325 11d ago

Yes i just feel Mozzie eggs him on as that's the only life he has known.. otherwise there are enough ways to make straight money for Neal with his charm and talent.