Human nature naturally drives people toward action and the accumulation of wealth, yet this drive can easily devolve into an endless, empty cycle. A tragic picture emerges of an entirely isolated individual, consumed by grueling work and the relentless pursuit of success, who has absolutely no one with whom to share his achievements or to whom he can leave his legacy.
The primary approach among commentators focuses on this profound social and familial isolation. This person operates entirely alone, without a partner, friend, servant, or wife to offer support [אבן עזרא, מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Lacking a child or a sibling, he has no heirs to inherit the fortune he spends his life building [מצודת דוד]. This isolation manifests across various walks of life. It can be seen in a Torah scholar who lacks a study partner or students to carry on his teachings, a bachelor without a family, or a merchant traveling without partners, which makes his enterprise incredibly difficult to start and sustain [רש״י, צאינה וראינה].
Trapped in this solitary existence, the individual works without rest. His appetite for wealth is never satisfied as he constantly chases more money, or, in the case of the scholar, his thirst for knowledge remains unquenched because he lacks students from whom he can also learn [רש״י, מצודת דוד]. Caught in the relentless pace of his own life, he never pauses to ask himself why he is depriving his soul of goodness, rest, and pleasure, especially when there is no one to inherit his estate [אבן עזרא, מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Ultimately, while laziness is certainly a negative trait, excessive and purposeless labor is equally foolish [אבן עזרא, מצודת דוד].
On a deeper psychological and philosophical level, this isolation represents an internal human struggle. The solitary figure symbolizes the intellect, which stands alone without any assistance. The body's physical and instinctual forces constantly oppose the mind, dragging it toward physical desires. The intellect lacks any physical relatives and must work endlessly to avoid being consumed by materialism, knowing that surrendering to physical urges will ultimately deprive the soul of true goodness [תעלומות חכמה].
The sages [תורה תמימה] expand this concept to represent various historical and spiritual figures. Some interpret the solitary figure as God Himself, who has no partner. The Israelites are considered His family, but only when they fulfill His will; if they abandon the Commandments, God's effort in creating the world is rendered empty. Others view this figure as Abraham, who stood entirely alone in his monotheistic faith within a pagan world, lacking family support when thrown into the fiery furnace, yet working endlessly to fulfill the Commandments. Alternatively, it represents the tribe of Levi, the only group that did not sin with the Golden Calf. They acted impartially against their own relatives to punish the sinners and worked tirelessly in the Tabernacle, finding their true wealth in the incense offerings that enriched those who brought them.
From a darker perspective, the solitary worker is the evil inclination, which operates alone and cares nothing for the fact that its induced sins bring death to a person's children and shame to their family. Its endless toil is the chain reaction of sins, and its wealth is the successful accumulation of evil deeds. Finally, a specific historical tradition identifies this lonely figure as Gavini ben Charson, a wealthy man who was blind in one eye. He spent his life amassing a massive fortune, only to die and have his entire estate inherited by complete strangers.