A pretty good story looking at how Americans are infatuated with enormous houses, how ingrained this is in our culture, and how that affects our finances, in the form of a story of someone who rented a house (mansion) that was way above his means. Though the house in the article definitely falls well into the category of real mansion, I would point out how many people lust after the more common McMansion (and how that may be one of my favorite wikipedia articles).
I must say, I’m quite happy in my 550 square foot apartment. If anything, I’d say it’s a little bigger than I need, even with storing my kayak and sousaphone in the kitchen/dining room area.