There's another way to hear that story. The grasshopper entertained the toiling ant and helped it in its work by sharing the simple joys of loyal companionship and the gift of its talent in the art of entertainment. In that light, the ant is narrow minded and ungrateful; the ant values neither art nor its "friend" the grasshopper. The ant is so disloyal to its friend that it turns the grasshopper out with full knowledge it is turning its friend out to die cold and alone in the world.