it greatly bothered him that I had such a flunky job, washing cages and sweeping up dogs' hair; and also that I was no longer a college man but trying to keep up on Helmholtz who was a dead number to him; in other words, that I should be of the unformed darkened-out mass. It was often that way with me, that people would feel the world owed me distinctness.
The narrator reflects on the discontent of a person close to him who is troubled by his lowly job involving menial tasks like washing animal cages and cleaning up pet hair. This person also disapproves of the narrator's shift from being a college student to what they perceive as a diminished status in life, suggesting that he has become part of an indistinct crowd rather than maintaining his unique identity.
This feeling of frustration stems from societal expectations that individuals should pursue distinct paths. The narrator feels the weight of these expectations, realizing that others believe he should strive for a more defined and respectable role rather than being classified with the "unformed darkened-out mass." Such insights highlight the struggles of self-identity in relation to societal perceptions.
