My other piece of advice, Copperfield, said Mr. Micawber, you know. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen nineteen and six, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds ought and six, result misery. The blossom is blighted, the leaf is withered, the god of day goes down upon the dreary scene, and - and in short you are for ever floored. As I am!

Summary

In this quote from Charles Dickens' novel, David Copperfield, Mr. Micawber imparts a financial lesson to Copperfield. He explains that one can find happiness with an annual income of twenty pounds, as long as their expenses remain below that amount by just six pence. However, if one's expenditures surpass their income even by a small margin, it will lead to misery. Mr. Micawber vividly depicts the dire consequences of financial imbalance, signaling a life of hardships and constant struggles. He uses imagery to emphasize the devastating impact of being caught in an endless cycle of insufficient funds.

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