Hey cozy, if you watch the actual film, it's not meant to be a funny quote. Donald, the house maid's fiance, gets asked about the monastery and when he answer's, he does it with a bit of an embarrassed chuckle, but by no means is it a funny scene. To be on relief means to be getting money from the government because you are unemployed, so I think the quote is famous because it depicts the times well (the film was set in the late 1930's if I recall correctly, so think Great Depression aftermath etc).