In "The Little Prince," Antoine de Saint-Exupéry illustrates the contrasting perspectives of children and adults on life. While children are curious about emotional and imaginative aspects such as a friend's personality or hobbies, adults tend to focus solely on quantifiable details like age or wealth. This highlights a significant difference in how people perceive and value relationships, shifting from meaningful connections to mere statistics.

The quote emphasizes how grown-ups often miss the essence of experiences, valuing numbers over imagination and feeling. Where children see beauty and uniqueness in a house through its characteristics, adults only appreciate it when given a monetary value. This reflects a broader critique of adult society's prioritization of materialism and superficial metrics over genuine understanding and appreciation of life’s intricacies.