Help me again, pls.

1. It's all the fault, she decided, as the tall fellow drew something on the back of an envelope, something that **was to be looped up or left to hang**, of these absurd class distinctions.

I don’t understand **was to be looped up or left to hang** .
........

2. - Laurie put his arm round her shoulder. "Don't cry," he said in his warm, loving voice. "Was it awful?" - "No," sobbed Laura. "It was simply marvellous. But Laurie--" She stopped, she looked at her brother. "Isn't life," she stammered, "isn't life--" But what life was she couldn't explain. No matter. He quite understood.
***- "Isn't it, darling?"*** said Laurie.

When Laurie said "Isn't it, darling?" , he meant "It is not life" or "It is life"?
Can you say it in other way? Thank you.