The passion for selfish gratification in the amassing of wealth, and the worship of money through fraudulent and deceptive tactics, have become an increasingly visible and widely destructive phenomenon in society. This essay explores the nature, etiology, and impact of runaway greed on mental and physical health, and on the society and the environment. It examines the historical and metaphorical meanings of greed and its identification with social, cultural, religious, and economic determinants. The psychoanalytic explanation of acquisitive behavior is described along with approaches to treatment. The purpose of this analysis is to stimulate interest in the study of acquisitiveness and to raise awareness of its insidious consequences on the self and on society.