In addition to the other comments, I would also note that it&#x27;s untrue that Rockefeller started doing philanthropic work as &quot;atonement&quot; for his business practices. Even as a young man just getting his start as a bookkeeper at a small merchant, he gave a significant portion of his then-meager pay to charity.<p>He was a complicated man, no doubt, and he tended to gloss over some of the consequences of his actions when recalling his past, but he was, mostly, just vilified for being a brilliant businessman at a time when it was popular to do so.