In other words, you got everything right to make this picture what it is. It works in spite of the difficulties, I think. The unspeakable filth has probably increased the softness of the background which makes this foreground branches stark and sharpish.

I like it. Your perceptions are only important during the creative process. Once you've released the picture into the wild, the only perceptions that should matter are those of the viewer. Or am I being pretentious? Probably ...

No, not pretentious. Quite helpful as a matter of fact. In some cases I’m simply not sure what value a photograph has. This site can be a useful barometer.