Ostentatiously ascetic

You don't have to be much of an ascetic to find the narcissistic rituals of socialites fairly nauseating, especially if you're exposed to them on a near daily basis. Yet Bill spends an inordinate amount of time photographing all their goings on.

Yet another contradiction in Bill's personality that leads one to think he's repressing deep yearnings to exhibit himself and using his camera partly to live vicariously through others. He can't do what they do, therefore he goes to the other extreme of neglecting all comforts and finery. He tells himself that he's simply not interested in living as they do.

But he *is* interested.