Answer:
The poor surroundings caused abject misery.
Explanation:
In Chapter 7 Moonshadow went to visit Mrs. Whitlaw to educate her on demons. Moonshadow was impressed that Mrs. Whitlaw seemed to be interested in other people. He explained about the dragons and was impressed with the knowledge he possessed and she could see his point of view. After his visit, Moonshadow came home thinking that demons weren't that bad.
