Everlasting

...Profits are huge in the wig business. The employees get much bigger bonuses than in just any old company. Know why?"

"No. Why?"

"Wigs don't last long. Bet you didn't know: toupees are good for two, maybe three years max. The better made they are, the faster they get used up. They're the ultimate consumer product. It's because they fit so tightly against the scalp: the hair underneath gets thinner than ever. Once that happens, you have to buy a new one to get that perfect fit again. And think about it: What if you had a toupee and it was no good after two years - what would go through your mind? Would you think, OK, my wig's worn out. Can't wear it any more. But it'll cost too much to buy a new one, so tomorrow I'll start going to work without one? Is that what you'd think?"

I shook my head. "Probably not," I said.

"Of course not. Once a guy starts using a wig, he has to keep using one. It's like his fate. That's why the wig makers make such huge profits. I hate to say it, but they're like drug dealers. Once they get their hooks into a guy,  he's a costumer for life. Have you ever heard of a bald guy suddenly growing a head of hair? I never have. A wig's got to cost half a million yen at least, maybe a million for a tough one. And you need a new one every two years! Wow! Even a car lasts longer than that -four or five years. And then you can trade it in!"

"I see what you mean," I said.

"Plus, the wig makers run their own hairdressing salons. They wash the wigs and cut the customers' real hair. I mean, think about it: you can't just plonk yourself down in an ordinary barber's chair, rip off your wig and say, 'I'd like a trim,' can you? The income from these places alone is tremendous."

..."You know Mr. Wind-up Bird," May Kasahara said after a short silence, as if a thought had suddenly come to her, "I bet the reason people are afraid of going bald is because it makes them think of the end of life. I mean, when your hair starts to thin, it must feel as if your life is being worn away... as if you've taken a giant step in the direction of death, the last Big Consumption."

The Wind-up Bird Chronicle, Haruki Murakami