People
The theory seems to be that as long as a man is a failure he is one of God's children, but that as soon as he succeeds he is taken over by the devil.
— H. L. Mencken
Behind the line May contain spoilers.
Our reading
An editorial interpretation.
The line mocks a view that treats failure as innocent and success as corrupt. A person's fortunes change, and the moral judgment changes with them. The joke questions whether outcomes alone can tell us anything about character.
Context reviewed