No, I'm sorry, this is a braindead take.
Squidward was a pretentious jackass and narcissist who thought too highly of himself. He wasn't "burnt out," he felt his job was beneath him because he was a "misunderstood artist."
He sucks at clarinet but thinks he's amazing. He sucks at art, he sucks at dancing, he sucks at everything, but he's convinced he's some genius just waiting to be discovered.
He's a miserable cynical jackass because he refuses to acknowledge that he's kind of terrible and treats everyone and everything as beneath him.
Remember: no one wants to be a Squidward.
One of the most misunderstood cartoon characters?
Mine is Squidward.
As a kid, I thought he was just a miserable guy who hated fun.
As an adult, I see someone who is just trying to survive annoying coworkers/customers, loud neighbours, and a job he hates.
A lot of us laughed at Squidward when we were younger because we related to SpongeBob's optimism.
Then adulthood happened.
And suddenly Squidward started making sense.
Who's a cartoon character you completely misjudged as a kid but understand much better as an adult?