This story illustrates how people can trap themselves by holding onto negative emotions like resentment, anger, and jealousy. Just as the monkey in the story derives no benefit from holding nuts, people get nothing positive from clinging to negative feelings. These emotions lessen and limit our lives. The story suggests that simply letting go of such negative emotions could instantly improve our situations, though it can be difficult to do. It also cautions against making assumptions about others and their problems before considering other perspectives.