What riches have you that you deem me poor,Or what large comfort that you call me sad?" In this sonnet, Santayana is challenging the assumptions people make in every day life when assigning emotions or categories to other people. The first line questions what you have that makes you "rich". When you label someone as "poor", then such a comparison must be made against some level of monetary value. So, what makes one person "rich" and another person "poor"? This is the question Santayana is demanding. He is challenging the arrogance of people labeling others according to their own bias. The continuation of the first line, is asking the same question about calling someone "sad". What assurance do you have which makes you "happy"? This is also addressing the categorization of assuming someone is or should be sad.
