less respectable than complete

[beeja]

I don't understand the red sentence, anyone pls help.

When news spread of Fanny's death, some people had felt an involuntary touch of pleasure - something they would never acknowledge or admit even to themselves - upon waking one morning to find that misfortune had visited someone so impossibly blessed in life. Liem had seemed to arrive at talent and luxury without the slightest strain. If Henry had experienced anything less respectable than complete and utter anguish for the loss of Fanny to the fire, it was perhaps a feeling that might be called wonder, or selfish excitement, that he would dare to aid Liem in a time when he needed healing.

tks,

[BobK]

Originally Posted by beeja

[color=navy]...If Henry had experienced anything less respectable than complete and utter anguish for the loss of Fanny to the fire, it was perhaps a feeling that might be called wonder, or selfish excitement, that he would dare to aid Liem in a time when he needed healing.

...

The problem is that you're trying to treat 'less respectable than complete' as if it had meaning on its own. Try again, treating 'complete and utter' as a unit; 'complete and utter' is a strong collocation, and often a cliché.



b