You are right. If you have a look at this section of Act
II, Doolittle deliberately asks for the money for the purpose of spending it all and
having a grand time over the weekend. He is quite open about this, saying to Higgins
"Don't you be afraid that I'll save it and spare it and live idle on it." He seems
almost proud of the way that he promises that there "will not be a penny of it left by
Monday." He wants the money for "one good spree." Thus it is, when Higgins offers him
ten pounds instead of five, Doolittle says he couldn't possible accept it because of the
way this is too big a sum and cannot be spent easily. Note what he says to justify his
refusal of the greater sum of money:
Ten pounds is a lot of money: it makes a man feel
prudent like; and then goodbye to happiness. You give me what I ask you, Governor: not a
penny more, and not a penny
less.
Above all, if there is
one thing that Doolittle wants to avoid, it is feeling "prudent," which he sees as being
akin to waving goodbye to happiness. Having too much money would make him think he would
have to save it and that he was unable to spend it on enjoying himself. Five pounds
appears to be the optimum amount to be easily wasted on a weekend of
pleasure.
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