The following definition of mortal is from Oxford Dictionaries Online:
[humorous] a person contrasted with others regarded as being of higher status or ability
It gives this sentence as an example:
an ambassador had to live in a style which was not expected of lesser mortals
Where is the humorous point of it? I can't see it.
Answer
This sense is a play on the contrast between mortals and immortals (specifically, the gods). By calling ordinary people mortals and contrasting them to someone else (such as ambassadors), the speaker is implying that the "immortals" think they're like the gods.
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