When you're a married man, Samivel, you'll understand a good many things as you don't understand now; but whether it's worth while, going through so much, to learn so little, as the charity-boy said when he got to the end of the alphabet, is a matter o taste.

Summary

This quote highlights the idea that experience and maturity, particularly through marriage, can offer a deeper understanding of various aspects of life. However, it questions whether the effort and struggles one goes through to gain this knowledge are worthwhile when the outcome may not be significant or transformative. The analogy of the charity-boy, who completed the alphabet but didn't necessarily gain much from it, implies that the value of gaining wisdom and insight is subjective and varies from person to person.

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