Meanings of unremunerative occupation in English

Victor ejaculated: he never could reach to a right comprehension of labour, in regard to the very unremunerative occupation of literature.

Since then this very ill-clad and really necessitous person has devoted himself to the honourable but exceedingly arduous and in general unremunerative occupation of story-telling.

'Work!' Victor ejaculated: he never could reach to a right comprehension of labour, in regard to the very unremunerative occupation of literature.