“Deaths of despair” is a key concept that establishes the urgency and high stakes of Galloway’s project, referring to a specific cluster of mortalities from deaths by “suicide, drug overdoses, [and] alcohol poisoning” (3). These deaths are called “deaths of despair” because they reflect a sense of hopelessness or a need for dissociation from the issues of modern life. He highlights that this crisis disproportionately affects undereducated and unemployed men. By foregrounding this data, Galloway frames the struggles of modern men as a social epidemic with fatal consequences. The rising rate of these deaths serves as a motivation for the solutions he proposes throughout the book. It underscores the critical need for personal guardrails, meaningful work, and strong social connections to counter the loneliness and economic precarity that can lead to such tragic outcomes.

Coined by the author as “slow dopa, or ‘Slowpa,’ as I call it” (34), this concept serves as the practical antidote to the harmful instant gratification offered by the addiction economy. Galloway defines Slowpa as the earned, delayed satisfaction that comes from effortful, offline activities. He contrasts these pursuits with the fleeting “dopa hits” from platforms like TikTok and Instagram. To make the abstract concept concrete, he provides examples like building a LEGO model, cooking a meal with family, or committing to a regular workout routine. The underlying principle is that of compound interest applied to personal effort. Small, consistent investments of time and focus will yield durable satisfaction and build resilience, contributing to the theme of The Value of Hard Work and Taking Risks. This makes Slowpa a central tool in his advice for both self-regulation and parenting in a digitally saturated world.

“Surplus value” functions as the book’s primary ethical yardstick for manhood, defined by the principle that “you give more than you get” (10). This is a moral calculation, measuring a man’s positive contribution to his relationships and community, including quality time, intentional effort, and financial support. The quintessential application of this concept is in fatherhood, which Galloway condenses to the mission of being a better father than one’s own father was, thereby creating an intergenerational surplus of care and support. This framing shifts the measure of success away from external markers like wealth and status and toward internal character and service, though such service can involve finances. By aiming to create surplus value, a man commits to being a source of strength, support, and generosity for his family and society, making it the ultimate expression of the aspirational code of masculinity that Galloway advocates.