Nephi-2's lament

In Helaman 7, Nephi-2, son of Helaman-2, returns from the land north and finds the people of Zarahemla in a pretty bad state of wickedness. In verses 7-9, he laments (with poetic parallellism in verses 8-9):

7 Oh, that I could have had my days in the days when my father Nephi first came out of the land of Jerusalem, that I could have joyed with him in the promised land; then were his people easy to be entreated, firm to keep the commandments of God, and slow to be led to do iniquity; and they were quick to hearken unto the words of the Lord—

8 Yea, if my days could have been in those days, then would my soul have had joy in the righteousness of my brethren.

9 But behold, I am consigned that these are my days, and that my soul shall be filled with sorrow because of this the wickedness of my brethren.

I have always found this statement a bit puzzling. Is Nephi-1's days really the best example of a righteous society? But a second look at this helped me realize a few things:

• Two chapters earlier, Helaman explains to his sons, Nephi and Lehi, in clear terms, that they are named after their forefathers for a particular reason. Nephi-2 must have felt a special connection to Nephi-1 reading about him. 
• Nephi-2 is not referring to all the problems in Lehi's Family. "His people" in verse 7 probably means he is referring to the time after Nephi had separated from his brothers when he was the leader of a society consisting of "those who believed in the warnings and the revelations of God" (2 Nephi 5:6)
• We don't think of this society much because there is one chapter in the entire Book of Mormon (2 Nephi 5) telling us about it. Nephi-2 had access to the large plates and could read the more detailed account.

Even though we only have the small plates, we get enough clues to realize that Nephi-2 used a fitting example. Jacob 1:15

And now it came to pass that the people of Nephi, under the reign of the second king, began to grow hard in their hearts, and indulge themselves somewhat in wicked practices

The first king was Nephi. After his death, during the reign of the second king, the people began to grow hard in their hearts. Between the separation from the Lamanites and this time Jacob is referring to, they "lived after the manner of happiness" (2 Nephi 5:27).