The Midas Plague - Frederik Pohl (Novella)

"The Midas Plague" by Frederik Pohl Genre: Science-fiction Original publication: Galaxy Magazine, April 1954 Synopsis: In a world of cheap energy, robots are overproducing the commodities enjoyed by humankind. The lower-class "poor" must spend their lives in frantic consumption, trying to keep up with the robots' extravagant production, while the upper-class "rich" can live lives of simplicity. The story follows the marriage between a man lower-class man and an upper-class woman.