- The author, 38 and disabled, feels shame after asking their mother for money, reflecting a culture that equates productivity with worth.
- The Protestant work ethic has shaped modern capitalism, where work is seen as a moral virtue, making unemployment feel like personal failure.
- Disabled people face systemic poverty and a 'benefits cliff' where earning too much can strip vital support, forcing them into permanent poverty.
- Invisible illness leads to social suspicion, requiring disabled individuals to constantly prove their suffering is real.
- Capitalism relies on the myth of self-sufficiency, but everyone depends on care labor, which is undervalued.
- The author struggles to separate self-worth from economic output, but tries to believe humans have value beyond productivity.
- Disabled people are forced to confront human fragility, challenging the capitalist fantasy of endless optimization.