Well not really maximizing cash, but the point is he'd be taking similar risks with his life spread over a longer period of time with much less reward. Life isn't about maximizing cash but certainly we need cash to be happy to an extent. Having more cash allows us to do more things that we want to do and less things that we don't want to do. If everyone had all the cash they needed there would be no one to clean shit off toilet bowls or to compact garbage at landfills.