Beautiful. Deserving of First Place, in my opinion. Animation was flawless, despite your "experimentation." Great story. Although the battle between money and happiness is a bit cliche, I think it fits your theme and purpose perfectly.
One more thing that struck me was the train ride. It was very symbolic how you used the hammer and shaped holes to show that the man was being forced to do something that didn't fit him. It was a clever usage of your animation skills, and partially why I believe you deserved first place.
To correct hipparata: he didn't have a wife and kids, or at least none were mentioned. The girl playing the music seemed to be his only "love interest," and dare I say it to be so.