I was about to say, let’s assume capitalism rather than long-reaching malice. The aristocracy has proven that largely, they’re not great at long-term thinking - so the real answer is more rationally “private equity and the demands of capitalism requiring that even everyday recreation be heavily monetized” rather than “nefarious puppetmasters are conspiring to lock humanity into a work-only lifestyle”. The former can beget the latter, but I believe that’s more a happy knock-on effect than a very pointed and intentional outcome.