Novel theology 5: Capitalism

More from Frederick Forsyth's novel The Phantom of Manhattan:

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[Darius, slave to the great god Mammon, boasts of his exploits to his master:]

It is I who, for the world, conduct the great takeovers, construct an even bigger empire of mergers and investments. It is I who destroy the weak and the helpless, rejoicing in the pleas. It is I who raise the rents in the slum tenements, order the clearances of the homes and schools for factories and marshaling yards. It is I who suborn and bribe the city officials to ensure their compliance. It is I who sign the purchase orders for great stakes of shares and blocks of stock in the rising industries across the country.

[And Mammon replies, speaking of Darius' benefactor Erik:]

Rarely does one come across a true genius in the matter of gold. He is such a one, and more besides. Inspired only by hatred of Man, guided by you in my service, he is not simply a wealth-creating genius but immune to scruple, principle, mercy, pity, compassion, and, most important of all, like you, immune to love. A human tool to dream of. [...] All the kingdoms of the world was the phrase I used once, to another. To you, all the financial empire of America.

[Pages 73-74]