"... this girl who was the life of the party — fun, elegant, beautiful, and subtly selfish. She frequently had people bending over backward to give her whatever she wanted."

There are certainly attractive people like that, and there is a cost to spend time with them and have their attention. We should all make the best of what we have, and they got a unique gift and are cashing in on it just like a guy that can throw a 95 mph fastball. Of course no one HAS to pay that cost, and they can just hang out with the usual mediocrities. If you want to spend time with a doctor or a lawyer or a tradesman or an entertainer, or any number of other people who do something for you, you have to pay for that too. The author is still talking about that fun, elegant, beautiful gal, and I bet everyone else who opened their wallet or jumped through hoops for her is too, so they got their money's worth.