the main point of the game is gaining status, and you do this in a variety of ways you might not even think about right now: you can drink expensive liquor in a public place, you can be a member of a social club, you can get invited into the club of another player of a higher social level, you can join a regiment (less for the whole fighting aspect and more for the prestige), you can gamble, and of course you can court a mistress of a high enough level.