Jami contrasts the pigeon, which raises only two chicks because they feed from the pure crop of their parents, with the domestic hen, which can raise many because its chicks scavenge from every dunghill along the road. A single, wholesome source can nourish only a few, while an abundant but base source can feed a thousand. Jami reads this as a lesson on lawful sustenance (halal rizq): one who wishes to keep his livelihood pure should not burden himself with a large household of dependents, for in this narrow world an abundant lawful provision cannot be gathered. The tale ties restraint of desire and a limited household to the ethical ideal of contentment.