Many of the villains in his books are rich boys who never had to make any effort to improve their character. Alger's main point was that striving for success is not just to 'get a fortune' but could give us tenacity, discipline, frugality and optimism - qualities which cannot be bought.
Horatio Alger Jr. ; January 13, 1832 – July 18, 1899) was a prolific 19th-century American writer, best known for his many young adult novels about impoverished boys and their rise from humble backgrounds to lives of middle-class security and comfort through hard work, determination, courage, and honesty. (Excerpt from Wikipedia)