I think that sums up my views on money and capitalism. It's VERY necessary for equality, like your example. With money rather than simply trading goods, the cobbler has the ability to have a full pantry as often as the shopkeep who has more to provide far more frequently. But it's also extremely flawed, and also make inequality really, really easy. The cobbler can only make and sell so many shoes in a period of time, but a general goods shopkeep has lots of things to sell all the time, and he doesn't have to make those goods himself, so he's bound to be wealthier than the cobbler, unless the cobbler raises his prices, at which point fewer common folk would be able to afford his shoes, giving them less options for shoes, and/or less money to spend on other necessities. If only the world could be a little simpler sometimes.