That may have been the author's intent but that's not really how I see it.

There are people in this comment thread talking about being required to buy this book in order to get access to required online assignments, which is a near universal scam the degree industry likes to pull.

Sahaj there is likely using flippant humor to express serious grievances with their education. Or their education scented debt accruing experience, as so many of them are. Rebekah apparently finds the tome most useful as a weight, so she was probably required to purchase the thing but it was of no use to her in her life.

I think these students should be issued a baseball bat and 30 seconds of "whatever happens, happens" with Mr. Freedman.