Explain "In proportion to the distress of the applicant was the hardness of his terms." How does Tom become rich? How does he spend his money? What shows he is still a miser?

Tom became a userer or a money lender. His practice was to adjust his rates according to need. Thus, the more someone needed assistance, the harder he'd make it for the person to adhere to their own part of the bargain. He becomes rich by taking advantage of the downtrodden. He spends his money on material possessions, "a vast house, out of ostentation," but never affords to finish what he begins, thus, proving his miserliness.