— "He was dressed in the affection of wealth to which colored people lent themselves." Presuming this is from a literary text dealing with african americans: This means he dressed in a manner to display his wealth, which was common among african american communities during the time in which the novel takes place. — "Mother could not judge his age. He was a stocky man with a red-complected shining brown face, high cheekbones and large dark eyes so intense as to suggest they were about to cross." In this case, the intensity refers to the emotion or attitude his eyes display. "...they were about to cross." is used to reinforce the strength of the image. The entire sentence is meant to convey a sense of passion and strong feelings within the man's gaze.