What happens when you’re unwilling to let go of a lifestyle you’re no longer able to afford?

Bill Thompson was a commodities trader raised on Chicago’s affluent North Shore. He was accustomed to a moneyed lifestyle, always getting everything he wanted. But after losing his job, things started unraveling. Bills couldn’t be paid, his already unhappy marriage got worse. He started looking for a way out.

A version of this story aired on This American Life as part of the episode “Getting and Spending.”