Curdie could not be certain that the cause of their not being intelligible to him did not lie in himself.

The king told him that for some years, ever since his queen's death, he had been losing heart over the wickedness of his people.

He had tried hard to make them good, but they got worse and worse.

Evil teachers, unknown to him, had crept into the schools; there was a general decay of truth and right principle at least in the city; and as that set the example to the nation, it must spread.
The main cause of his illness was the despondency with which the degeneration of his people affected him.

He could not sleep, and had terrible dreams; while, to his unspeakable shame and distress, he doubted almost everybody.