Are humans to be seen as victims of a “harsh and brutal world”?

I don't think victims is the right word rather than people are shaped, formed, and reformed by the harsh landscape that they inhabit. Their world is built on survival and the brief respites of happiness mixed in . Consider Antonia.She bears a child out of wedlock and raising it alone is shameful in according to Black Hawk standards, but Antonia is able to rise above the humiliation. She meets and marries Anton Cuzak. She and Cuzak have ten or eleven children together, and own a large farm. Antonia rules the household with a gentle, loving hand. She loves her life on the country and is dedicated to the land.