The wise man said,

There is one alone, without companion:
He has neither son nor brother.
Yet there is on end to all his labors,
Nor is his eye satisfied with riches.
But he ever asks,
“For whom do I toil and deprive myself of good?”
This also is vanity and a grave misfortune
(Ecc. 4:8).

Some men are married to their work. Their job takes priority over every other aspect of life. When younger some have no concern for getting married and having a family. Some are married with children, but are essentially “without companion.” They do not pay attention to or spend time with them.

All the stuff and things his wealth provides are empty. There is no one to share them with either because their is no family or they are alienated from them.

Men need more than material rewards to find satisfaction in their labors. We are to labor for our family (1 Tim. 5:8), for our neighbors (Eph. 4:28), and most of all for God (Matt. 6:33). Without a larger purpose and deeper meaning, labor is vanity.