Davis argues that civilization's downfall won't necessarily come from some dramatic threat — a foreign invader or domestic demagogue. It's just as likely to come from something far less dramatic: the failure to sustain the work. The real menacing dragons aren't the ones Hollywood depicts; they're everyday boredom, distraction, and uncertainty that erode our ability to commit for the long haul. This poetic litany of neglect — the untilled garden, the unwelcomed newcomer, the unhoused neighbor, the unheard prisoner, the unheeded public voice — is his way of saying that the most dangerous threats are the ones we simply stop showing up for.