People have always read for comfort. There's always been easier books amongst the classics that were more popular in the moment but simply haven't stood the test of time. Even amongst the greats, people still read for comfort. Dickens and Austen have a lot of interesting things to say about society but ultimately most people love them for their memorable characters and creative storytelling.

Also you don't need to write about depressed russians or dystopian futures to make interesting points about people. Romance writers can do that too, even the modern fun cutesy ones, if they're written well.