The Game of Life

Another board game I found in a closet. The box tells me it's A Milton Bradley game from 1960,;Ages 9+; "Key to Fun and learning". I've heard much of this game and always wanted to have a game of it.

It's a simple roll-the-die-and-follow-the-path game. The premise is about going through life and the unexpected things that occur. The player earns money by chance as they progress, but also can loose it by chance. Realistically, there's not all that much choice in the game. 'Fate' is the decider of victory. However there are points in which a player are able to purchase insurance if they decide to (on their first turn everyone is given this chance). I decided not to, and quickly regretted not trading $500 for car insurance at the beginning when I landed on a square resulting in a $10,000 loss. Twice. Good lessons to be learnt about insurance here.
The Game of Life is all about money, suggesting that life is all about money. Landing on a square that tells me I've discovered uranium deposits and $100,000 feels damned good. As you can see, winners end up in the Millionaire Acres while losers end up at the Poor Farm. Right there is one of those mental models I've been thinking about.
Children is another interesting thing in this game too, you'll notice the pins in the cars. They represent children that you pick up on the way. Without the rules, I can only assume the victory condition rewards for children, as it seems no squares seem to mention anything else.