Two distinct forms of personal value operate in attraction:
Relative value can override absolute value: a "bad boy" with a weak resume can out-compete a man with strong absolute credentials, because attraction responds to Status as Relative Standing (The Real Attractor Behind LMS) as demonstrated live, not to the resume itself. This explains the common "I don't know what she sees in him" reaction as a predictable mechanical outcome rather than a mystery.
This distinction sharpens DHV: Demonstration of Higher Value: a DHV only registers as value if it is delivered in a way that reads as relative-value (unforced, in-context, discovered rather than announced) — see High Value by Accident (Effortless Competence Narrative) for the specific case of money and effortless-competence signaling.
Early in an interaction or relationship, absolute/extrinsic indicators carry more weight (they're the only information available). Over time, accumulated evidence from direct interaction and game increasingly dominates how the value is perceived — a man with strong absolute value (gym-built body, nice clothes, business success) can still lose ground if he behaves in a way that signals low relative value, e.g. mentally placing the other person on a pedestal.