There's important context about his old partners though: Walter was in love with one of them when she betrayed him, got with the other guy and then they cut Walter out of the same company that Walter's research turned into a mega success.

Was Walter prideful about their offer to pay for his cancer treatments? You bet. I probably would have been as well in the same situation.

Was he prideful there because he wanted to be a drug kingpin? I don't think that was his primary motivation.