The "jab" had awakened a monster. Simon spent his evenings scrolling through catalogs of outdoor lighting. He installed smart-home integration that allowed him to change the color of his exterior floodlights from his phone. He paved his driveway with heated pavers to melt the winter snow.
"Here," Simon said, handing Marcus a glass of scotch. "It’s a twenty-year-old Macallan. Drink it. Forget the cars. Forget the fences. Just drink." keeping it up with the joneses jab
It sounds like you're referring to the academic paper: The "jab" had awakened a monster
By Monday morning, Simon Hale was a changed man. He didn't just want to keep up with the Joneses; he wanted to knock them out. He paved his driveway with heated pavers to
(or a similar title with “jab” possibly a typo for “job” or just part of the phrase).
Marcus blinked, caught off guard. "What?"
The phrase “keeping up with the Joneses” implies a passive, lingering envy—a slow erosion of the soul caused by looking over the fence. But a "jab"? A jab is sudden. It is sharp. It is an offensive maneuver designed to test a rival’s defenses.