Marcus, like Epictetus, is aware of the importance of freedom in this life. But the deepest freedom is never freedom from having basic value commitments. It is our deepest commitments that free us from unnecessary entanglements and activities that do not express who we most truly are. We are to retreat within ourselves again and again to renew and refresh our sense of where we are heading and how we will get there. The self-knowledge that we need for guidance in our ongoing decision making must be a growing thing, renewed on a regular or frequent basis.
Philosophy makes the man.
And, of course, the woman. It can present life in a more palatable form to us, helping us to deal with anything we confront, and in turn it can empower us to present ourselves in a better way to life. Marcus would have us take care about what we choose first and foremost to pursue in this world. A little philosophizing on the proper ends of life will suffice to produce some simple and penetrating realizations. Money alone will never satisfy.