Your assumption is that cheap living equals unhappiness/misery/etc whereas most unhappiness is caused by the uncertainty of not knowing where your next meal is

Your assumption is that cheap living equals unhappiness/misery/etc whereas most unhappiness is caused by the uncertainty of not knowing where your next meal is coming from. Presumably he had a good family/friends, which is what matters, no? Investing in your family's future is an incredibly noble/selfless thing to do, it takes real character.