What word or expression describes the attitude of "if I can't have it, nobody can"? [closed]

Question

Is there a single English word, or a fixed phrase, to describe the attitude conveyed when someone destroys an object/opportunity for others simply because he/she cannot benefit from it?

For example, suppose a formerly wealthy financier goes bankrupt and his creditors arrive to haul away his assets which include some expensive artworks. However before the creditors can get to the art, the bankrupt financier burns them and declares that "if I can't have it, nobody can!"

How can you describe his actions?

Answer 1

"Dog in the manger" is the phrase used to describe this attitude. "Spiteful" might serve if you're bent on a single word.

"The story and metaphor of The Dog in the Manger derives from an old Greek fable which has been transmitted in several different versions. Interpreted variously over the centuries, the metaphor is now used to speak of one who spitefully prevents others from having something for which one has no use. Although the story was ascribed to Aesop's Fables in the 15th century, there is no ancient source that does so."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dog_in_the_Manger

Answer 2

The selfish bankrupt financier burns them and declares that "if I can't have it, nobody can!"

chiefly concerned with one's own interest, advantage, etc, esp to the total exclusion of the interests of others

in psychology: Yale Study

“Our study provides the first evidence of a non-human primate choosing to punish others simply because they have more,” said Leimgruber, first author of the paper. “This sort of ‘if I can't have it, no one can’ response is consistent with psychological spite, a behavior previously believed unique to humans.”

Answer 3

I would think of a phrase like that as 'stuck-up' or 'snobby' given the description.