The Jeffrey Epstein case is so bizarre and unsettling, it’s unsurprisingly become grist for all manner of conspiracy theories, ranging from the zany but believable to the horrifying but . . . still believable. But at the heart of it all is one basic, almost banal truth: billionaires really shouldn’t exist.

It’s still not entirely clear where exactly Epstein’s bottomless well of cash came from, though it’s quite clear by now that it’s definitely not from what he claimed was his day job. Whatever the truth — whether he was blackmailing the rich and powerful, serving as their high-end black-market pimp, or something spookier — Epstein’s extreme wealth is inseparable from his crimes.

Epstein preyed on young girls whose families were struggling with money, came from foster homes, or were on the brink of homelessness. He dangled wads of money and the prospect of career advancement to lure them in, then plied them with lavish gifts to keep them there. The opulence he lived in rendered his crimes invisible, barely even hiding — flaunting, in fact — what he was doing on his private island, far from prying eyes on the mainland.