Status has always been a big deal. It's how mating works. Luckily, most human societies moved past the "physically fight each time you want to claim territory and/or women" phase, which has allowed humans to work together some of the time and build things. But at the end of the day, it's still all for the mating game.

Humans are a little bit smarter and can see the future a few years past copulation, but it’s still instinctual to show off when you see a mate you like, and make sure your neighborhood/family/tribe/class knows it. And to make sure you can attract whoever you desire (along with feeding and securing yourself), we try to gather as many resources for ourselves and our family/tribe/class as we can.