Drinking mates became the substitute for friends, and prostitutes a surrogate for love. To a Jew, a swineherd was a most disgusting occupation. All his self-respect was stripped away. He was a useless, filthy, degenerate fool. We end up far from where we expected to be, not shiny and happy but discontented and sometimes disgusted.
Self respect can fall into an emotional equivalent of the pig-pen.
Then, by the grace of God, you come to yourself. All is not lost. I reckon many of you can also identify with him. Here is a bloke who has loyally laboured at his duty, year after long year. Big brother did not make a song and dance about it, did not ask for fancy rewards.