Egoism In The Big Short

In the movie, The Big Short, the characters represent a growing culture of self-centered egoists that must rely on the contract value theory to guide both their professional and personal lives. This movie demonstrates how each individual applies The social contract theory through their egoist behaviors, and ultimately how these self serving behaviors cost millions of people their livelihoods. Michael’s actions were clearly representative of egoism when he sends the investors a notice stating that he had been given executive power to act on their behalf with investments. He feels that it is in their best interest to follow his lead regardless the outcome by refusing to let investors pull out of the risky investments and freezing their

“Short everything that guy has touched, I want half a billion more swaps”...”I am going to try and find moral redemption at the roulette table” (The Big Short). He feels morally wrong for being a part of the debauchery but, he is also trying to do what benefits him which is make money and exact a little revenge on the corporations that target these unsuspecting people. Despite the financial gain he feels wrong for his part in the events but his actions show that he is doing what is morally good for him and the clients he represents and ends up making millions off these same people he is betting against.
In the end Mark must be convinced by Vinnie into selling their shorts by reminding him of his fiduciary responsibility to their investors, ”Clients want to talk to you about pulling their money, It’s now or never mark, you’ve got to sell” (The Big Short). By every account these actions would be considered highly immoral, but the egoist perspective would say that the act of not selling the shorts would be an immoral act so he is clearly acting morally by getting rid of the