Hope

T.H. White, who wrote The Once and Future King, The Book of Merlyn, Mistress Masham's Repose, and other Fantasy and Horror classics wrote in 1935 a short story called "The Troll." It's a short piece narrated by a boy who tells a story his father told him about a time in Lapland when his father saw through a keyhole a Troll eating his wife.
Later in this story the narrator says something I found fascinating. He writes:

"Life is such unutterable hell, solely because it is sometimes beautiful. If we could only be miserable all the time, if there could be no such things as love or beauty or faith or hope, if I could be absolutely certain that my love would never be returned: how much more simple life would be. One could plod through the Siberian salt mines of existence without being bothered about happiness. Unfortunately, the happiness is there. There is always the chance (about eight hundred and fifty to one) that another heart will come to mine. I can’t help hoping, and keeping faith, and loving beauty. Quite frequently I am not so miserable as it would be wise to be. And there, for my poor father sitting on his boulder above the snow, was stark happiness beating at the gates.”

This passage shows such a blended contrast between the intellect and emotion. The son, telling the story, has obviously realized intellectually that happiness is counter-productive to overall satisfaction, and yet emotionally he does not, or feels that he cannot fight it.

What does that say about the character? He obviously thinks quite a lot, and spends time dwelling on his feelings. He hasn't had much fortune in romance yet, but he has loved. He says that he loves beauty, so he has probably spent time cultivating taste and education. I think the teller of this story could be someone I might enjoyably debate with, if I could find some point of disagreement. I think he might also have a sense of humor, found in the clever irony of that last sentence.

Fascinating.