Hmmm ... I am not sure about the 'narcissism,' and 'sunk cost fallacy,' because they are 21st century terms applied in retrospect. I think Otero, like many women of her time and position, simply did what they could to make a living. Admirers kept on paying because those ladies were masters of their trade, including profiting, so to speak, from their rich patrons need to be seen as men not only rich enough but powerful enough to keep them – one more status symbol and a highly desirable one at that.