The easiest way to miss a point (on purpose or not), is to take a metaphor literally.

I see a lot of this here on HN, and I think it is a common vice among people with strong knowledge in the hard sciences but with a rather narrow scope of interests outside of it.

I believe that the point was that sovereignty over how one spends one's time is more important than material possessions, beyond what is strictly necessary. Surgeons can save a lot of money and retire early, probably are less restricted by managers than the typical wage slave, have a very meaningful job (something quite rare these days), etc.

Most people's lives today are not like this. They are stuck in a hamster wheel that they cannot jump out of without becoming homeless.