Number 23

These false friends you see around you are nothing but flies swarming over sweets. As long as there's some scrap to feast on, they buzz around you like a swarm of bees. But once the estate is ruined and empty, and your purse rings hollow as a broken drum, they drop your company and their affection, as if they never knew you at all. Then, when fortune turns your way again and success comes knocking at your door, just cook up a rich stew and, from every side, they'll dive in like flies landing in yogurt. The truth is, they're the stray dogs of the market: they love the bone far more than they love you.