The Wolf of Wall Street ending explained

What happens

Belfort, after wearing a wire and serving a short, comfortable sentence, now works as a motivational speaker. At his seminar he asks the audience to sell him a pen, and the camera lingers on their eager faces.

The last image

The camera turns from Belfort to the audience, a room of hopeful faces looking up at him.

What it says

The ending shows that Belfort's sales culture outlived his crimes, and that the system barely punished him. By turning the camera on the crowd, the film asks who is still buying, and whether you, having enjoyed his story, are one of them.