I was sitting at a meeting today and thought of this discussion.
I am dressed in a black skirt, nice shirt and sandals.
Three men were dressed in long sleeve button down shirts and nice slacks. 1 was wearing a tie.
One man was dressed in a short sleeve button down shirt and nice slacks with a tie.
One man was dressed in a polo and khakis.
One man was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt.
The men dressed in the polo and khakis and the jeans and tshirt were the ones that were turned to most often for information/clarification and to resolve differences.
I think as a society we have placed so much emphasis on the exterior that we often forget the interior. IMHO, Cantoresq was still dressed in nice clothing (not stained, dirty etc) and the neighbor judged him by a standard that is ridiculous. Imagine if the same story was told with a guy wearing a black suit but a COLORED shirt. What would you think then?