Human beings often fail to appreciate the good things when they have them, overlooking how amazing a moment can be because it is "normal" or frequently occurring. The metaphor of a "backdrop of abundance" highlights the paradox of excess humans experience: the good, instead of enriching experience, can instead dull perception. Once it is gone is when we truly realize what we had and now do not. This speaks to a broader theme in Feet in Smoke, where memory and love can blur and even lose impact when it has become the "typical" in our everyday lives.