It was/is all the state of thought, geography and education. Some lived very well in comfortable surroundings with servants, ample food and conveniences.

The 1800's were as turbulent as now but full of possibilities and adventure.
The individual could/did find an outlet for imagination and desire to explore.

I suspect that eventually future generations will live similarly to the 1800's as the cheap readily accessible fossil fuel supply becomes limited and cost-prohibitive but we will still have the strength of thought and imagination plus education/knowledge to find solutions as they did before. It will be a huge change to the Megamansions, SUV's, AC and central heat but many people did live quite well in the 1800's.

We have been over-run with processed foods and materialistic junk mindset that holds us in our slave cubicle labour as 'paper pushers'. How many of us would actually do real manual work, I wonder?