With close reference to the short story Flowers For Algernon, do you think that ignorance is bliss or suffering?

For 37-year-old Charlie Gordon, ignorance is bliss .Only when Charlie's I.Q. of 68 trebled did his troubles begin. Before the operation which improved Charlie's intelligence, he lived a relatively happy life. He thought that he had friends. Even though his "friends" had made fun of him, Charlie was ignorant to know.
His state of ignorance is apparent from his progress report, written for Dr Strauss: "My friends from the factery Joe Carp and Frank Reilly invited me to go to Muggsys Saloon for some drinks. I don't like to drink but they said we will have lots of fun. I had a good time”.
As he was intellectually challenged, he had no issues with his janitor job or status. He was proud of his job and showed it off willingly to his friends during his night out at the pub.
But things took a turn for the worse when he underwent the operation. Before, he was merrily mopping the floor at the plastic box factory as his job. After, Charlie was promoted at his workplace as he had discovered a newer and more efficient way to arrange the plastic boxes. This infuriated his colleagues, who then went on to sign a petition to have Charlie fired from his job.
When he discovered that everyone except Fanny Girden, had signed the petition, his feelings were of shame and loneliness: “Once again, now, I have the feeling of shame burning inside me. This intelligence has driven a wedge between me and all the people I once knew and loved. Before, they laughed at me and despised me for my ignorance and dullness; now, they hate me for my knowledge and understanding. What in God's name do they want of me? They've driven me out of the factory. Now I'm more alone than ever before…”
His unhappiness surfaced also at the dance club he visited with his colleagues. Because he did not know how to dance, he was made fun of. He was embarrassed: “I didn't know what to do or where to turn. Everyone was looking at me and laughing and I felt naked. I wanted to hide. I ran outside and I threw up. Then I walked home. It's a funny thing I never knew that Joe and Frank and the others liked to have me around all the time to make fun of me. Now I know what it means when they say "to pull a Charlie Gordon." I'm ashamed.”
At his usual dining place, the new dishwasher boy had accidentally dropped the plates, and was cruelly scolded by his manager as a result. Charlie had joined the other patrons in laughing at the boy until he discovered the boy was mentally retarded. Charlie then went on to scold the other patrons, observing that “Only a short time ago, I learned that people laughed at me. Now I can see that unknowingly I joined with them in laughing at myself. That hurts most of all.”
In conclusion, Charlie’s life was changed dramatically by the operation. Before it, he was doing his job happily and thought that he had true friends. After the operation, his life was miserable. Charlie was able to analyse the situation and realised that his friends were just there to make fun of him. Consequently, he was hurt emotionally.
Therefore, I can conclude that ignorance is bliss, and not suffering, in the case of Charlie Gordon.