content: The Bonfire of the Vanities clearly made several strong points about racism, sexism and capitalism in America, but I personally enjoyed the attention Wolfe paid to developing the characters and situations each character was in. All the plot lines are just built up by the indepth description of how each character was involved. The reader is never left wondering why the characters are doing what they are doing, but everything is very obviously connected by Wolfe's previous narrative that it gives the reader something to look to for clarification. Specific events such as the mayors obsession with mayonnaise "who in the name of God would bring a half eaten jar of mayonnaise to a public meeting?" or Sherman's confusion in the Bronx "Who on Earth would take the trouble to shove a chair in a chicken wire fence in this neighborhood?" also shows the actual character's detail orientedness, and perhaps shows that focus on detail is an inherent human flaw.