Monygham's argument presents in full his cynical viewpoint. Reform is impossible, because mankind is ruled by "greed" and "resentment," so therefore corruption is not only inevitable but desirable. Continued "ransom," nauseating as it may be, is the only thing holding the system peacably together. Take away bribery, as Gould has done with the silver, and you take away the only restraint keeping the rule of naked force at bay. What Monygham advocates is not just corruption but "a frank return to" corruption; i.e., the abandonment of higher ideals in the open acknowledgement of a hopeless world. Cynicism is mankind's "only chance."