Love for money or money for love?

In comparing the novel with the film, the variant that eventually stood out as the most prominent thematic difference between the two stories was the treatment of money. The protagonist, whether his name be Jamal or Ram Mohammad Thomas, wins the opportunity to appear on a "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" style game-show. The awarded amount differs in the two stories, but the fact remains that the protagonist will be receiving a regal sum of money.
The character in the film, Jamal, has a much more moralistic approach to his life journey than that of Ram in the book. There are numerous encounters throughout the film when Jamal is confronted with choices pertaining to his ability to escape his current state of poverty. The path always taken by Jamal is not only the purer decision in regard to the advancement of all rather than just himself, but it is most often influenced by love. Hollywood never fails to push the romantic love story to the forefront of any tale, and Slumdog Millionaire is no exception.
Swarup's storyline contains an undertone concerning money that contrasts drastically with that of the film. Ram is constantly ruminating on the idea of true love. Almost every girl he meets in the recollected stories of the book seems to immediately flood his heart and appear in his dreams for the next few weeks. However, there is no static love that pervades the book. Instead of love, Ram is more steadily concerned with money. In a quotation from page 155, Ram rather overtly discusses his thoughts on status and money: "For the first time in my life, I had something more tangible than a dream to back up a claim. And for the first time in my life, I saw something new reflected in the eyes that saw me. Respect. It taught me a very valuable lesson. That dreams have power only over your own mind. But with money you can have power over the minds of others."