And mosquitos and ticks

No no, the secret is being so pessimistic you don't care about dying.

Having done field work for health departments I have come across more than a few sites like this, often in proximity to some pretty dark and miserable situations.

I frequently think about how those spaces might've been important in some way to the person who had once resided in the tent or burned out trailer nearby. Those places probably were the few spaces of peace they experienced.