Question

How does the line “we cling to our last pleasures as the tree clings to its last leaves” in paragraph 1 of "The Fly" impact the message of the story?

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The line about clinging to our pleasures refers to old Mr. Woodifield being allowed out of the house once a week by his wife and daughters to visit his old haunts in London.This seems an innocent pleasure in a privileged life, and we think little of it at first.
Mr. Woodifield goes to visit a younger friend called the boss at his office. Mr. Woodifield mentions that while he was recently in France to see his son Reggie's grave, he also saw the grave of the boss's son, which was quite close by. Mr. Woodifield also notes the vastness of the burial ground and how neatly it is laid out.
Suddenly, the recent carnage of World War I (the story was published in 1922) intrudes. We realize that both Mr. Woodifield and the boss have lost sons in the war, as have many, many people, indicated by the size of the graveyard. We now recognize a somber twist in "clinging to our last pleasures." Mr. Woodifield has had much sorrow in his life due the war.
After Mr. Woodifield leaves, we also become aware of the almost unbearable grief the boss feels over the loss of his beloved only son. His son was the person he lived for and pinned his hopes on. Being reminded of him puts him into a great deal of emotional pain.
The boss then takes his (perverse) pleasure as he can, alleviating his pain by killing a fly with slow drops of ink. He tells the fly to "never say die" and admires its courage and plucky spirit—all the while slowly killing it. In doing so, he reenacts what the world is doing to him, slowly and sadistically killing him, bit by bit.
The story is a commentary on the immense sense of loss and grief people felt after the end of the war and the secret burdens of sorrow they bore. There is not much "pleasure" left in this world to cling to.

The Fly

How does the line “we cling to our last pleasures as the tree clings to its last leaves” in paragraph 1 of "The Fly" impact the message of the story?

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Please explain the metaphor, "we cling to out last pleasures as the tree clings to its last leaves." How does it contribute to the story?