Sentence:  Life is <WSD>further</WSD> characterized , in antithesis to Piepsam , as animal : the image of a dog , which appears at several places , is first given as the criterion of amiable , irrelevant interest aroused by life considered simply as a spectacle : a dog in a wagon is `` admirable '' , `` a pleasure to contemplate '' ; another wagon has no dog , and therefore is `` devoid of interest '' . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  to or at a greater extent or degree or a more advanced stage (`further' is used more often than `farther' in this abstract sense)