Why do the later members of the Buddenbrooks family struggle to continue the family business?

In Thomas Mann's novel Buddenbrooks, the decline of the family business is driven by a fundamental shift in the family's character across four generations.12

The later members of the family struggle to maintain their mercantile success because an emerging "artistic streak" renders them increasingly unfit for the practical demands of business life. This internal transformation creates a conflict between the traditional, robust bourgeois values of their ancestors and a new, more sensitive temperament.2

Ultimately, this artistic inclination does more than just distract from commerce; it undermines the family's overall vitality. As the family moves away from the pragmatic, disciplined focus required for trade, their ability to sustain their material wealth diminishes, leading to the eventual extinction of the family line.21