The message is simple. We drown ourselves in misguided hedonism, expecting to find happiness and fulfillment in women, money, stuff, and media. They make us feel good, and feeling good gives us a distraction from a melancholy existence laden with things that give us pleasure but don't make us happy (key line: "A melancholy town where we never smile"). Think about it, surfing the internet for hours gives us a pleasurable distraction but we rarely, if ever crack a smile while doing it. That's the key distinction. Happiness is the freedom and confidence to do anything anywhere at any time, while a dependence on feeling good keeps us tethered to the things that make us feel good. Our inability to recognize the difference will trap us in the tower, this melancholy town where we never smile, and even if we do recognize the difference, we may be too far gone to break free. 2D sees Noodle out there being happy and free but he can only watch helplessly with his hands pressed against the glass before regretfully retreating back to the den of hedonism.
The message is simple. We drown ourselves in misguided hedonism, expecting to find happiness and fulfillment in women, money, stuff, and media. They make us feel good, and feeling good gives us a distraction from a melancholy existence laden with things that give us pleasure but don't make us happy (key line: "A melancholy town where we never smile"). Think about it, surfing the internet for hours gives us a pleasurable distraction but we rarely, if ever crack a smile while doing it. That's the key distinction. Happiness is the freedom and confidence to do anything anywhere at any time, while a dependence on feeling good keeps us tethered to the things that make us feel good. Our inability to recognize the difference will trap us in the tower, this melancholy town where we never smile, and even if we do recognize the difference, we may be too far gone to break free. 2D sees Noodle out there being happy and free but he can only watch helplessly with his hands pressed against the glass before regretfully retreating back to the den of hedonism.