How does Schoenberg create a sense of despair in ‘I Dreamed A Dream’ from Les Miserables?

I dreamed a dream is sung by Fantine, a poor women nearing the end of her short life. The piece begins with a recitative in Ab major. The melody is monophonic, proclaiming the text and feel of desolation. The time signatures change through out “There was a time when men were kind, when their voices were soft” from 3/4, 2/4 and then back to 4/4. This and the syncopated accompaniment with bass pedal and 13th appoggiatura creates dissonance and the sense of unease and despair.
Verse 1 modulates to Eb major, the key of love, which helps represent the fact that Fantine is painfully reminiscing about the hope she once had. The melody is still largely monophonic yet still has some rising contour. This hope is then contrasted by a descending, dissonant bass line, continued syncopation in the accompaniment and 7th and 11th appoggiaturas with 6-5 suspensions. This dissonance and uncomfortable feeling alludes to the despair Fantine feels regarding to the “dream she dreamed” and the youthful hope of love she once had.