It's comical because "hope" has two divergent uses amongst those who have replied, and in the population in general, yet many don't recognize both uses. The EXACT difference between the two is that one "hope" is DEFINED as necessarily involving despair, while the other is defined as necessarily lacking it.
>> "hope_1": certainty in love and safety, despair-free, also linked with "faith_1"
ex. a mother tells her child after a heartbreak "I know things will get better, but be patient and strong." <-- this mother is "hopeful_1" and has "faith_1" (ie. she is correct)
>> "hope_2": delusional thinking, despair-based, also linked with "faith_2"
ex. a child has terminal cancer and her mother says "I know if I pray to God and ask for my baby back she'll be delivered back to me strong and well! ... ()"
but this is ambiguous, so we have to be extra careful in how we fill the parenthesis, which mark what she implies by the statement:
... (in body): No. Bodies with terminal cancer perish. All things in this world are impermanent. This person has "hope_2" and "faith_2" (ie. she is incorrect)
... (in spirit): Yes, although she has expressed it vaguely. The love between her and her child is not lost and is returned to her in strength. This person has "hope_1" and "faith_1" (ie. she is correct)
Realistically, exactly because she has failed to discern the difference between these cases, SHE PROBABLY HAS A MIXTURE OF BOTH HOPE_1 AND HOPE_2 AND HAS FAILED TO DISCERN THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THEM!
Not unlike many of us.