The hunger to beg, borrow, or steal our way into what is theirs may poison us spiritually. Where the tenth commandment comes from. Not all coveting is wrong. It doesn't imply that we can't desire anything. Good to desire God's gifts.
Balance is needed.
To wrongly desire delightful things is sin. God forbids some good things to us. When gaining a good thing hurts someone else. It is not our level of prosperity that makes for happiness, but the kinship of heart to heart, and the way we look at the world. In real life it was Howard Hughes' obsession.