of substance and despair

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frindle2

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Joined
Sep 22, 2013
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Korean
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South Korea
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South Korea
Hello. Would you please tell me what "substance" means in the context below?
Does it mean 'drug'? Or 'essential nature' or something?
Thank you.


--------(These sentences are from <Mosquitoland>(a YA novel) by David Arnold)
Dear Isabel,
As a member of the family, you have a right to know what's going on. Dad agrees but says I should avoid "topics of substance and despair." When I asked how he propose I do this, seeing as our family is prone to substantial desperation, he rolled his eyes and flared his nostrils, like he does. The thing is, I'm incapable of fluff, so here goes. The straight dope, Mim-style. Filled to the brim with "topics of substance and despair."
 
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Hello. Would you please tell me what "substance" means in the context below?
Does it mean 'drug'?

If it were a topic related to drugs, I would expect it to be something like substance abuse.
 
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