With some whose nerves have a deep covering of fat, happiness is less of a problem that it is an accident of anatomy.

Haskins wryly suggests that what we call “happiness” is not always a moral achievement or philosophical solution, but can be partly determined by physiology. People who are less sensitive—metaphorically described as having their “nerves” padded by “a deep covering of fat”—may experience fewer emotional shocks and therefore find contentment easier. The line critiques the tendency to treat cheerfulness as a virtue and melancholy as a personal failing, implying that temperament and bodily constitution can heavily influence one’s emotional life. It also carries a satirical edge: some people’s serenity may be less wisdom than insulation.