And here I go with a long-winded post of my own...
Personally, I don't mind inventing explanations of my own for the who, how, and why. Some stories are more fun when they simply serve as excuses to employ dramatic framing and dialogue. You have to admit, the framing and artwork have a sort of seriousness that contrasts everything else in the strip.
What tiny shreds of information are offered can be used to extrapolate and imagine all manner of character traits and setting details. Bogroll, for instance: I enjoyed that character, and even chuckled at him, though he occupied but three frames and spoke but three short lines. The situation he was in offered hints at the sort of organization Lord Stanley runs, and the loose comraderie formed by the few who have endured Lord Stanley's tiresome string of stupid defeats.
Does it matter why the Mona Lisa is smiling, or if she's even smiling at all? No, the viewer is left to take it as he may, and is better off for not bein spoon-fed by the artist.
While not a timeless masterpiece, Gobwin Knob is at least quite amusing. If one does not "get it", the artwork itself loses no value.