Does ところ mean the exact same thing as こと in this sentence?

Question

Consider the following sentence:

お金じゃないところが好きだから一緒にいるの

【おかね　じゃない　ところが　すき　だから　いっしょに　いるの】

I think it means "I'm with you because of the parts of you that don't have to do with money".

I'm wondering about the use of ところ here. It seems to mean the same thing as what こと was said to mean in this question, which is a vague collection of qualities that a person can have.

Question one: Does ところ mean exactly the same thing as こと here, or are there differences? Would 「お金じゃないことが好きだから一緒にいるの」 change the meaning?

Question two: I think this question refers specifically to a person who may or not have money, because of a wider context. However, from purely a grammatical point of view, could it also mean "I don't like things to do with money, so that's why I'm with you"? In other words, the speaker is expressing more about the fact they aren't materialistic, as opposed to commenting on the resources of the person being spoken to.

Question three: If you read this statement without other context, would you assume that the person being spoken to does not have money, and the speaker likes that person in spite of that fact? Or, would you assume the person being spoken to may or may not have money, but either way it is not relevant to the speaker?

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Bonus question: I'm a little confused by the の at the end. I thought の at the end of a sentence indicated a question, but that doesn't seem to be the case. What's の up to here?

Answer 1

こと in the sense discussed in the linked question is, as far as I've seen it, only used in the XXのこと form, and it doesn't refer to any one identified part of somebody/their personality.

ところ in this sense is more a specific point or points. You wouldn't use 彼【かれ】のところ to refer to his personality as a whole, but 彼のどんなところが好き？ is a common phrasing. You can like some ところ and dislike others, and still like　彼のこと as a whole.

So:

1. I think こと here would not be interpreted as the same as in 彼のこと, and it might be taken as liking a non-materialistic lifestyle (お金じゃないこと) as opposed to anything about the person being spoken to.

2. I think it specifies that the thing(s) the speaker likes about the other person are not to do with money. As above, if it was こと not ところ I think it could take your "I don't like things to do with money, so that's why I'm with you" meaning.

3. I sort of read it as him having (or having had, then recently lost) money, but either way it doesn't matter to the speaker.

B: の here is a sort of light emphasis, and distinguishable in speech from the question の by the use of a falling intonation rather than rising. It's a feminine form.