the need-schedule outruns a handsome living
Gately and Fackelmann each received 5% vig on the 10% vigorish Sorkin took on every bet, and Sorkin made over $200,000 worth of book all over the North Shore on a week's pro ball alone, which for most diplomaless young Americans 1,000+ per pre-millennial week would have been a very handsome living, but for the Twin Towers' rigid physical scheduling of narcotics needs was not even 60% enough, weekly.
Context
The economics of the disease stated as a shortfall: a thousand-plus a week, a handsome wage for any diplomaless kid, and it doesn't clear 60% of what the two bodies' "rigid physical scheduling of narcotics needs" costs. The need sets the budget and the budget is never met, which is why the collectors have to moonlight and eventually burgle — the same schedule-of-need that makes a burglary lethal a few years and one dead Canadian later. The drug fixes the number; the man just tries to reach it.