Living in exile brings a profound sense of despair and a painful recognition of past failures. The prophet speaks directly in the voice of the exiled Israelites [אבן עזרא, רד״ק], or perhaps joins himself with them [שד״ל, ביאור שטיינזלץ], to confess that their ongoing suffering is a direct, equal reaction to their own actions and the actions of their ancestors.
In this state of exile, the people feel completely cut off from success and salvation [שד״ל]. The primary approach among commentators is that God's justice seems distant because He is not judging their enemies or taking action to avenge them. Furthermore, divine comfort and promises of good simply do not reach them [רש״י, מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ, מצודת ציון]. A different, deeper perspective views these concepts as a reflection of the relationship between the people and God. Justice represents a reward based on human merit, and it remains far away because the people currently lack any merit. Righteousness, on the other hand, is God's pure kindness that does not depend on human actions. It actively chases after a person to provide rescue, even when that person is unworthy. However, this divine kindness fails to reach the people because they continually run away from it, refusing to seek shelter in its protection [מלבי״ם].
The ongoing disappointment of the exile is compared to the contrast between light and dark. The primary approach among commentators is that this imagery simply repeats a single tragic reality: the people hope for the bright light of salvation, but instead, they constantly experience the darkness of troubles and exile [רש״י, רד״ק, אבן עזרא, מצודת דוד]. However, others see a precise and painful downward spiral in these descriptions. In this view, the initial light represents a strong, independent source like the sun, while the secondary brightness refers to a weaker, reflected source like the moon and stars. Similarly, standard darkness is the absence of sunlight that still allows for moonlight, whereas total gloom is a state of absolute, complete blackness. This creates a tragic picture of fading expectations. Initially, the people hoped for the complete, brilliant light of salvation, but standard darkness arrived instead. Lowering their hopes, they then prayed for just a small amount of brightness and partial comfort within that dark reality. Ultimately, even that small hope failed, as their situation collapsed into total gloom, devoid of any hope at all [מלבי״ם, מצודת ציון].