The only point in making money is, you can tell some big shot where to go.

The line frames wealth not as an end in itself but as leverage—an instrument for personal autonomy and dignity. “Making money” matters, in this view, because it reduces dependence on gatekeepers (“some big shot”) and allows a person to refuse humiliation, bad deals, or coercion. The blunt phrasing underscores a populist, anti-authoritarian attitude often associated with Bogart’s screen persona: hard-boiled independence, skepticism toward power, and a preference for self-respect over status. Read more broadly, it critiques social hierarchies by implying that the real value of money is the freedom to say no—to bosses, studios, or any figure who assumes entitlement to your compliance.