What does Luke 15:16 mean?

The coldly selfish son of a rich man has spent all his money (Luke 15:11–15). He has nothing to show for it, not even friends. A famine has swept across the land. The only work he can find is as a hired hand charged with feeding pigs. As a Jew, pigs are especially repulsive to him. Yet, in these circumstances, he has no other choice. Despite having work, the man cannot earn enough to properly feed himself. He wishes he had as much to eat as the pigs. He finds himself jealous of unclean animals because they get to eat.

The son had the wealth meant to build and raise a family and a legacy. He was poised to steward family land, maybe build a business, or add a trade. Before long, he'd be expected to marry and have children. This is the blessing God gave the Jews: obedience leads to a good harvest, a healthy family, and peace in the land (Leviticus 26:3–13).

Now the young man is destitute, and no one gives him anything. Everything is stripped away as it was for Judah: "All your lovers have forgotten you; they care nothing for you; for I have dealt you the blow of an enemy, the punishment of a merciless foe, because your guilt is great, because your sins are flagrant" (Jeremiah 30:14). But God promises restoration, too: "For I will restore health to you, and your wounds I will heal, declares the LORD" (Jeremiah 30:17).

The "pods" mentioned here are described with the Greek term keratiōn. This may refer to husks such as those removed from crops. Most likely, however, these are the fruits of the carob tree. Carob pods have a sweet, fleshy taste vaguely like chocolate. They are fit for human eating—the point of this detail is not that the young man is desperate enough to eat something inedible. Rather, it's that he's fattening pigs while barely surviving, himself.