This meme is classism and always has been. Hating the poor for being too depressed to work for pennies in hellish conditions while in agony due to various debilitating age problems is hateful shit. It is just used as a socially acceptable method for people to do hatred for the poor while simultaneously spreading the virtue of working for fuck all.
Aging was even worse back then than it is now. Modern medicine as we know it today basically didn't exist.
The story has a lot of magical realism going on. Joe's ability to get up and go to the factory with charlie is half miracle, half Joe making an extraordinary effort.
The whole thing is just incredibly shitty towards disabled people
It's a mean spirited meme, and it also gives me the vibes of "this person isn't depressed because I saw them smile once".