[2] Albert is "the last of the dolts": someone so stupid that he cannot learn to do simple things, and must instead invent hugely complex and powerful machines to do them for him.
The story follows Albert from elementary school (where he conceals his inability to do arithmetic by inventing the calculator) to adulthood, where his inventions have brought him fame and fortune, ushered in a worldwide golden age, and earned him the Eurema Prize.
Even at the peak of his success, however, Albert is still plagued by impostor syndrome, and by his inability to function without his inventions.
"Dam" won the 1973 Hugo Award for Best Short Story,[3] tied with Frederik Pohl's "The Meeting".
[6] Black Gate called it "not great, just pretty good", and found it to be lacking "the true inspiration, the magic" of Lafferty's best stories.