The story's mood depends on the layer of narrative. When the reader is situated in the initial frame story, the mood feels light and playful. The increasingly upsetting events of the inner story make the overall story's mood feel stiffer and heavier. However, even if the events are dramatic and the reader feels pity for Hans as he is increasingly exploited by the Miller, the story is aimed at teaching a moral lesson rather than showcasing immense suffering. The Linnet's removed, measured tone ensures that the mood never feels terribly dramatic, even if the events might be. Besides, Wilde intended for the story to be read by or read for children and therefore had to find ways to present Hans's exploitation at the hands of the Miller in a somewhat subdued way.
In addition, the tragedy of Hans's situation is undercut to a certain degree by the animals' meta-level discussion of the inner story. Because the Linnet and Water-rat explicitly discuss the story as a fictional, constructed narrative, the reader does not feel too distressed for Hans. The Linnet's intention is to share a moral lesson through the story of Hans and the Miller, rather than to invite the reader to wallow on behalf of Hans. At the same time, it is necessary to some extent for the reader to be emotionally impacted by the story enough to absorb its moral. As a result, the mood of the inner story simultaneously feels heavy and easygoing.
