The man didn't just not like his neighbor, he hated him, so much so that he was willing to pay a friend $500.00 if he would key the neighbors car, the friend thought about it and said no, why not? Because it wasn't worth it. The friend had high Morals. Not so fast, notice what he said; It wasn't worth it. The man assured the friend that he would not get caught. Then why would the man not do it himself? Because he would rather someone else do it.
Would you do it for $750.00? Let's just make it a $1000.00, will you do it then? What would you do? It is sad what most people will do for money. If his friend is really a Moral person, he would say no, when asked “why not?” This is the right answer as he might say “because it is NOT my car, if I wanted to scratch my own car, that's different, but neither I nor does anyone else have the lawful right to destroy someone's property.”
Upton Sinclair famously said: “It is very difficult for a man to understand something when his livelihood depends on him not understanding it.” This is the crux of Morality. If someone says that they are a good person, no amount of money can change that, and if it does, then they are NOT a good person. If a person is being arrested for a Lawful act but man’s law says that it is illegal, where is the Morality in that? “I am just following orders” or “if you don't like the law, then change it” are merely lame excuses. The arresting officer is just interested in a pay check.
Wait a minute here, What if a person offered me $20,000.00 to destroy someones property, couldn't I do the deed and then pay the person who's property I destroyed some of that money to repair the damages? Would that make it right? No. Because you still do not have the right to destroy it in the first place! A right can never become a wrong and a wrong can never become a right. Do we prefer situation ethics where laws change with the situation, time, geography, the whims of the tyrant? Look where that has led.
The beauty of basic morality is that it never changes, it is woven into the fabric of the universe, and one doesn't need to do anything, just STOP doing immoral behavior. The Principle of Natural Moral Law can be summed up in three words; DO NO HARM. Easy to comprehend, understand and apply in ones life if the love of money doesn't get in the way.