English Other Esoteric practices lack of fulfillment

Hello everyone.

I'd like to ask if "lack of fulfillment" can mean "lack of respect"?

If we are all essentially the same, then how can it be that we manifest such different fates? This was the step stone's question and the source of his anger. The attention and praise that the visitors gave to the statue is symbolic of the abundance of the love that some people enjoy in life. The way they walked all over the steps, on the other hand, can be seen as the ***lack of fulfillment*** for the rest. Why should there be such an unfair disparity?

The fragment above is related to the story of the stone step and the statue of Buddha.
In this story the stone step says that they both are made of the same material (marble), but people just walk over the steps while praising the statue.

Here is an excerpt:

"In fact, " the step stone continued, "not only are we the same material, but we are also from the same source. "
Again the statue agreed. "Yes. Both you and I came here from the same quarry on the same day. There is no difference between us. "
"Wrong!" The step stone yelled. "There is a huge difference! Just look at what happens every day. People walk all over me without the slightest notice, but they kneel before you and talk about how your beauty enhances the Buddha's appearance. They ignore me while heaping praise on you. They trample on me while bringing incense and flowers to you. If there is indeed no difference between us, then why do they treat us so differently?"

So my question is: could "lack of fulfillment" mean "lack of respect" in some context?

Thank you.