In Chicago, the city in which I live, there is a river but there are no ferrys that carry people across it for a fee. However, there is a ferry that gives the tourists a view of the city's lakefront for a not so small fee. The danger of the profession detracts many people from ever entering the noble profession. For an immigrant who can barely speak the language, being a taxidriver is one of the easiest ways of earning a living. It is quite lucrative if one knows where to go and what to do.
Many cabdrivers live in expensive condominiums by the lake, overlooking the beautiful Lake Michigan.
Curiosity guides behavior. And because the ladies of the night come in a variety of colors, the cabbie has the opportunity to pick and choose. Money is rarely a problem for the ferryman of the twentieth century. One of the easiest way to befriend someone is to make them feel worthwhile. If one feels that his existence, his presence in this world is for a purpose, it makes all the entailing pain and suffering bearable.