Convinced that struggle was the crucible of character, Rockefeller faced a delicate task in raising his children. (…) The first step in saving them from extravagance was keeping them ignorant of their father’s affluence. (…) At home, Rockefeller created a make-believe market economy, calling Cettie [su mujer, Laura Celestia Spelman] the “general manager” and requiring the children to keep careful account books. They earned pocket money by performing chores and received two cents for killing flies, ten cents for sharpening pencils, five cents per hour for practicing their musical instruments, and a dollar for repairing vases. They were given two cents per day for abstaining from candy and a dime bonus for each consecutive day of abstinence. Each toiled in a separate patch of the vegetable garden, earning a penny for every ten weeds they pulled up. John Jr. got fifteen cents an hour for chopping wood and ten cents per day for superintending paths. Rockefeller took pride in training his children as miniature household workers.

CHERNOW, Ron: Titan. The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. Nueva York, Random House, 1998, 124.