People
Relations are simply a tedious pack of people who haven't got the remotest knowledge of how to live, nor the smallest instinct about when to die.
— Oscar Wilde • The Importance of Being Earnest
Behind the line May contain spoilers.
Our reading
An editorial interpretation.
The speaker dismisses relatives with dry contempt, accusing them of being clueless about living well and equally clueless about when to gracefully exit. The wit lies in pairing two opposite failures, living badly and lingering too long, into one tidy insult. It's biting, theatrical, and deliberately absurd.
Context reviewed