This passage discusses conspicuous consumption, focusing on how certain classes engage in the ostentatious display of wealth through the consumption of goods and services. It mentions the differentiation of the servant class, particularly those responsible for vicarious leisure, and how they partake in conspicuous consumption through various means like wearing liveries and residing in spacious quarters. The passage also traces the origins of this form of consumption back to early human history, where it was more ceremonial and less about accumulated wealth. The distinction between a superior class of able-bodied men and a lower class of laboring women in earlier predatory cultures is highlighted as an example of economic differentiation, with men consuming what women produce.