And somewhere on this good boffo stretch of coastline lay the house of this inconsolable man, a man whom many regarded as being insane. But this was only, as he would tell people, because he was.

The narrator introduces a deeply unhappy man whom others consider insane, then reports his blunt agreement with them. The expected defence never arrives. That reversal turns an explanation of other people's judgment into a dry admission, giving the description its compact, self-confirming joke.

Context reviewed 23 September 2026