The real estate business in David Mamet's Glengarry Glen Ross runs by forcing its salesmen into fierce competition with each other. Access to the best leads is shown to be a vital part of the competition and Shelly Levene's demand that he be given the same access as the current leading salesmen is based on a plea for a just distribution of the chance to succeed. But this notion of fairness is one he never invoked when he was one of the leading salesmen. That is, Levene accepted the system when he was the one to benefit from it, but is unwilling to accept it when he has lost his edge and cannot compete at the top any longer. The premium leads do not, of course, guarantee success. Obviously Levene had access to them until younger, more aggressive salesmen pulled past him in the race. The leads are the most valuable asset the firm has--more valuable than the salesmen themselves. Therefore, Levene's claim that he should have equal access because he once did a good job, and might be able to again, is hard to justify. He asks Williamson to risk his job by giving him access and asks the firm to fail to put its resources to the best possible use.
The question of whether Levene should have access is, ultimately, not related to the ethics of the firm. Strictly on the basis of the way business is done there--and Levene's long-term acceptance of it--he is, and he knows he is, unjustified in asking for the premium leads. But Levene does make a good argument that it is unreasonable to simply allow him to fade away when he could still be of use to the firm. In the world of the play, however, his usefulness is shown to be over. His failure to notice that Bruce and Harriett Nyborg were crazy people rather than genuine clients seems to show that he no longer has the abilities that put him on top at one time. His excellent work with Roma in trying to con James Lingk, however, shows that once he believes he has returned to the top and has...