While pondering the Book of Mormon verses mentioning “gain”, a step-by-step process opened up that shows how pride leads to Babylon, Zion’s opposite, and then to society’s demise.
1. Pride includes the belief that some are worth more or worth less than others (Alma 32:2-3), in contrast to God’s valuing everyone as equally precious (Jacob 2:20-21).  Pride drives us to prove ourselves superior to others through individual economic success (3 Nephi 6:15).  Instead of working cooperatively to fill everyone’s needs (Jacob 2:17; D&C 82:19), we are tempted to compete.
2. Classes – As the competitive marketplace plays out, the people begin to divide up into classes (3 Nephi 6:10,12; 4 Nephi 1:25-26). The “rich” are those who do well at competing in the marketplace, and the “poor” are those who, for whatever reason, are not so successful at it.  The rich feel justified in looking down on the poor, and the poor are envious of the rich (D&C 56:16-17).
3. Crime – The envious poor are tempted to turn to theft and other crimes to secure what the rich enjoy (Helaman 6:17).
4. Secret Combinations – Individual criminals realize they could enjoy bigger criminal success if they worked with others–giving rise to organized crime (Helaman 2:8).  The power-hungry among the rich also realize they can better control the poor masses if they also work together (3 Nephi 6:27-30).
5. Corruption – The secret combinations of both the rich and the poor then figure out how to control of the levers of power in governments–perverting them into tools for plundering the people (Helaman 7:4-5).
6. Destruction – From insurrections (Ether 11:15), to wars where the plundered masses must defend themselves (3 Nephi 2:11), to malevolent foreign powers invading to secure all that delicious plunder for themselves (Mosiah 9:12)–society breaks down and Destruction reigns.
As prophets have warned bygone civilizations, as well as ours, the choice is either to repent [of pride], or [eventually] be destroyed (1 Nephi 1:4; 2 Nephi 28:17; Mosiah 12:8; Alma 8:16; Helaman 7:28; 3 Nephi 21:14; Ether 7:23; D&C 5:19).  To avoid that destruction we must individually repent of pride by accepting the truth deep within our hearts that “all men are created equal” and are of infinite worth.  Then we must work together to reinvent our social organizations by integrating humility into them so that over time we move toward Zion and away from Babylon. The choice is ours!