This quote is from a book review, and it's the last sentence of the review. For these two reasons it's more of summary of the previous sentences than a stand-alone statement. What the review is saying is that, yes, the character, Darius, is a complicated, sensitive, and intellectual person. He is an aesthete. And as a character he is realistically enough developed by the author that we can believe that such a person exists...he is believable. By saying he is consumed by status, the reviewer is saying that Darius places a huge importance on what people think of him. He cares mostly for money, admiration, and status. The gnawing power of the past refers to the painful memories of Emma, a woman from his past by whom he is obsessed. His erotic obsession with Emma is affecting his life in the present.