his dealings with mr. wendelson over the years of their professional acquaintanceship had only served to reinforce drisdales sense of social inferiority : on the one hand , he had never been wealthier or in better standing with his contemporaries , on the other hand , by glimpsing the world of privilege that was available to the disabled tycoon , he saw how far he still had to go truly to be able to rub shoulders with the countrys elite on equal terms .