Sentence:  But today he had noticed from the moment he had got out of bed that something was amiss with the world. Either he was in the grip of some divine discontent due to the highly developed condition of his soul, or else he had a <WSD>grouch</WSD>. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  A complaint, a grumble, a fit of ill-humor. (from the late 19th c)