I'm sure that Fogg knows how he made his own fortune (or inherited it); however, Fogg, the narrator, or a different character never explains to readers exactly how he became so wealthy. Fogg is a member of the British aristocracy. He's a wealthy gentleman that appears to have nothing but time on his hands and things to spend money on. That is the general appearance and stereotype of this class, and audiences are often given the impression that someone like Fogg is wealthy and always has been wealthy. He could very well have been born into the money. Often, this kind of thing creates a character that is not likable or relatable; however, that is not the case with Fogg. He doesn't flaunt his wealth by buying and doing frivolous things. He's fairly humble in general, and he's humble about his wealth. That said, he's not afraid to use large sums of money for a cause or a purpose. That is especially true when it comes to helping out a friend such as Passepartout.
We're never told exactly how Phileas Fogg came to be so incredibly rich. All that we know for sure is that he's a very wealthy man, albeit one who leads a fairly modest lifestyle. There's certainly nothing ostentatious or flashy about Fogg. He doesn't need to show off his vast wealth, but he does enjoy its trappings, nonetheless. Fogg's not very forthcoming about the provenance of his riches, and this merely adds to the air of mystery about the man. Even his closest friends and acquaintances haven't the faintest idea how he came by his money. But he genuinely is a rich man, all the same. And the evidence for this is extensive. He lives in a mansion on the fashionable Saville Row; he dines on the finest food whenever he drops by at the Reform Club; he has a line of credit at the world-famous Baring's Bank; and to top it all, he has a full-time manservant, none other than his faithful travelling companion, Passepartout.
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