This short plays into our tendency to anthropomorphize inanimate objects and our desires to cheer for the underdog.Proto is simply a machine. A robot programmed to obey. Since all machines are just things they are treated as objects devoid of all emotion. However, most of us also have deeply ingrained beliefs regarding fair play and fair treatment.Watching a machine, or an animal, being mistreated can be as upsetting, or more upsetting, than watching a human suffering the same treatment - if the viewer has empathy. This film plays on that empathy in the same way as Mary Shelly's Frankenstein did. If you understood the tragedy and felt for Frankenstein's monster then you'll get the point of this short.For those with empathy this is a very moving film well worth watching. For those without - not so much, and I truly pity you.