Riches cover a multitude of woes.

The line expresses a hard-edged social observation: money can conceal, compensate for, or cause others to overlook misfortunes and moral failings. “Cover” suggests both practical mitigation (wealth buys remedies, comfort, influence) and reputational camouflage (status reframes what would otherwise be judged harshly). In the world of Greek New Comedy associated with Menander—plots driven by marriage, inheritance, and social standing—wealth often functions as a solvent for conflict, smoothing over shame, legal trouble, or family discord. The aphorism thus critiques a society in which suffering and wrongdoing are not weighed equally for rich and poor, and where prosperity can mask the “woes” that remain underneath.