The Neglected Pou or Abused Pou meme stems from the mobile virtual pet game Pou, which became a global sensation in the early 2010s. The meme specifically features the character in a state of extreme disrepair—covered in dirt, surrounded by flies, and wearing a miserable expression—which occurs when a player fails to clean or feed it for a long duration. In internet culture, these images have been repurposed as a visceral visual metaphor for burnout, mental exhaustion, or the feeling of being completely forgotten. It gained significant traction on platforms like TikTok and Twitter, where users pair the image with captions about their deteriorating state during exam seasons, long work weeks, or social isolation, turning the once-cute alien pet into a symbol of modern-day stress.