Answer:
The windows are as unpleasant as other things in the world.
I would say this would classify as a downward comparison as the person is talking about Mark who has a poorer job situation than him and this could be used to bolster the speaker's ego or to knock poor Mark or could just be an observation.
He said that apothecary was poor, and that if they needed money to sell him the potion to not strave.
