The Five of Cups implores the querent to refocus their attention on not what has been lost, but what remains. It denotes some manner of consuming loss that is distracting or stealing the light from more important commitments. The most recognizable example is being so affected by grief after losing a loved one, that a person forgets their responsibilities to other loved ones. It could also be understood as great shame prohibiting further progress when someone is unable to bounce back from a mistake.