The word "ecstatic" means <em>a feeling of being very happy or overjoyed.</em> So, this means that the person is extremely happy compared to what he usually feels.
The phrase that serves as a context clue for the word ecstatic is "before long they're just as unhappy." This shows their prior feeling before being ecstatic. People can actually feel ecstatic when they talk about money, however <u>when they get only the basic necessities, they go back to feeling unhappy.</u> This shows how people are not contented with small things, when in fact, they should be happy about it.
{He believes that he needs to protect his people from the dragon and he never falters when attacking him. It is only later that he begins to understand that he can't do it alone and that he will probably die in the fight.}