In order to determine whether Adam and Eve forfeit paradise, it must be determined whether Eden, as presented by John Milton in his epic work Paradise Lost, truly serves as a paradise for it occupants. Milton's Paradise successfully serves as a paradise for Adam and Eve because it induces unqualified happiness in its inhabitants by engendering a sense of self-worth in Adam and Eve. Paradise is only worthy of its name if it is deemed so by its inhabitants. In order for Eden to serve as paradise for Adam and Eve, it must make them happy. Paradise elicits happiness from its inhabitants because it creates in them a feeling of self-worth, or rather a sense that their existence has value and importance. This sense of self-worth serves as the foundation of happiness because without it, Adam and Eve would quickly fall into despair. Despite the many pleasures of Paradise, they would quickly determine, using their innate intellect and ability to reason, that they are of no consequence in the world "they would feel useless and unimportant. They would feel lowlier than the beasts, being of less use and having less of a defined role in Paradise, because they would be cursed with the ability to know of their own uselessness. In reading Book IV, this is clearly not the case because despair is not present. Adam and Eve are able to enjoy a happy life in Paradise because Paradise provides them with the three essential components of self-worth: security, mastery, and companionship. These three components represent the structure of self-worth, from its fundamental base, security, to its culmination in companionship. .
Security provides the foundation for the creation of happiness for Adam and Eve because it serves as a prerequisite for the creation of a sense of self-worth. A strong and deep-seeded sense of value and importance in life cannot exist if the continuation of that life is subject to constant threat.