Final answer:
The Count reflects on the human capacity for suffering versus the insensibility of machines, symbolizing a higher intelligence contemplating the unfairness of the human condition.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Count, symbolizing a higher moral intelligence or divine figure, makes poignant observations about human suffering and the societal structures that perpetuate it. He implies that humans endure pain through the sensitivities of their intellect and emotions, suggesting that if humans were designed as mere machines, specifically as "hands" without the capacity to feel or reason, they would be spared the anguish associated with their toils.
The Count is reflecting on the harsh inequities of life and is questioning the justice of a creator or a system that would allow such suffering. This idea is particularly resonant given the intense physical and emotional demands placed on the working class, represented by the sleeping Deborah on the ash-heap.
In comparison, the religious references to Christ and the co-equality with God the Father represent an ideal of absolute moral and spiritual equality, a stark contrast to the Count's musings about the human condition and the apparent disconnect from a compassionate God.