I'm not sure the narrator has any self-loathing here.
Perhaps a mutual self-discovery.
All the negative descriptions come with reference to her perception of him "that you see" or "at which you stare"
It's not clear to me whether he saw himself clearly all along and had finally reached a breaking point to set her straight; or, if her view of him had infected his vision of himself.
As an additional thought: most of the reference is to wealth & poverty. I suspect the song could refer to class struggle nearly as easily as a romantic one.
I'm not sure the narrator has any self-loathing here. Perhaps a mutual self-discovery. All the negative descriptions come with reference to her perception of him "that you see" or "at which you stare" It's not clear to me whether he saw himself clearly all along and had finally reached a breaking point to set her straight; or, if her view of him had infected his vision of himself.
As an additional thought: most of the reference is to wealth & poverty. I suspect the song could refer to class struggle nearly as easily as a romantic one.