“The One Who Marries the Monkey for Its Money…” (Palestinian–Jordanian dialect proverb) There was a young woman named Reem. A wealthy man named Mazen proposed to her. But honestly, she never felt comfortable with him, and she didn’t even love him. He was hot-tempered, arrogant, and didn’t know how to treat people with respect. Even whenever they went out together, she’d come home upset because of the way he behaved. One day, her mother asked her, “Reem… are you really convinced he’s the right one?” Reem hesitated, then replied, “No… but he’s rich. Maybe he’ll change after we get married.” Despite her doubts, Reem accepted his proposal because she believed that money was the most important thing. After they got married, she discovered that his personality and manners were even worse than she had imagined. Every day there was a new argument. Every day there was shouting. He never respected her opinions or listened to her. Yet she kept telling herself, “At least we have money.” Two years later, Mazen lost his job, and his financial situation became difficult. The money Reem had overlooked everything for… was gone. But his personality… remained exactly the same. One day, Reem was sitting with her aunt, telling her how much she regretted her decision. Her aunt smiled sadly and said, “My dear… the one who marries the monkey for its money loses the money, and the monkey stays the same.” Reem fell silent. She finally realized that money can disappear at any moment, but a person’s character is what you live with every single day. Meaning of the proverb “The one who marries the monkey for its money loses the money, and the monkey stays the same.” is said about someone who marries or stays with another person only because of their wealth, even though they were never truly convinced by their character in the first place. The message is that money can come and go, but a person’s character remains.