I’m a person who puts a lot of pride in whatever I might be doing. This is not so much an egotistical, “look at how wonderful I am” kind of thing, it’s more a matter of deciding to do a kick-ass job when committing to something.
Pride might be the wrong word. The game is about self-improvement. When you push yourself to be better despite being surrounded by people who don’t give a shit, you’ll always end up a winner, even if no one else recognizes or acknowledges your awesomeness.
Issues arise when you spend too much time with people who have no desire to challenge themselves or push towards any degree of excellence. Frustration and anger begin rearing their ugly heads. Stress and grief follow closely behind. It’s easy to slide into a nasty funk when you’re plugging away at a job to make a couple bucks to pay for a crummy apartment and something to fill your belly, but not a single co-worker seems genuinely pleased or inspired to engage their toil.