Luke 15:14

When he had spent all. To begin with, his fortune appeared of such proportions that apparently he could draw on it indefinitely without replenishing it. Now, suddenly and unexpectedly, it disappeared. To make matters worse than they would otherwise have been, a severe famine arose in the land. Had he been diligent in adding to his resources and frugal in his expenditures, the famine probably would have brought no extreme hardship. But quite evidently he had not anticipated poverty coupled with famine.

He began to be in want. In time of storm the prodigal’s fair-weather friends vanished. They were without doubt much like him, living for self-gratification. But the young man was a stranger, a newcomer, and in times of stress such as these every man no doubt found it more than he could do to supply his own needs. The young man’s improvident spending (see on v. 13) had not gained him even one friend on whom he could rely for help in his time of need.