Rama was living a very happy life at the beginning, enjoying incomes so high that others were envious of him, and also being recognised as "the prince among caterers" with his spot as the "throne" (line 14). His life was also described as "without agitation or heartburn of any kind" (lines 15-16). As a person, he was clearly quite generous as he "let the poor rat do his business" at his usual spot while he was not there, implying generosity and a lack of selfishness. This portrayal of Rama as well as that of his life is an extremely positive one, which will amplify the impact of certain external events outside of his control later...