What gives a being value? Is it simply usefulness? Ponku is certainly trying very hard to be useful, and wears a brave face, comforting herself with the knowledge that, if she is melted into scrap metal for 500-yen coins, at least that's a way to be useful to people. It will take her a while to realize that what really needs isn't so much to be useful itself, but home, community, belonging, and affection. In the meantime, she is going to be a ridiculous goofball and smile widely as she trips over her own head, which keeps falling off on a regular basis.