Answer:
The comparison in the passage above can best be rewritten as "The cold of the air is not as harsh as forgotten favors"
Step-by-step explanation:
These lines make the comparison of the lack of gratitude of people and how does this reacting make other who are affected suffer, it is not talking about actual freezing or cold, it is about the insensibility of some and even more the coldness of humanity towards the ones that were of help for them in the past and from whom they got some benefit.