Yall are missing the point I'm trying to bring across. When I say I find it idiotic to call MC a "loser" or "douchebag", it's because the character doesn't align with the morals, principles and thought processes of losers and douchebags. Sure the actions from outside give that impression, but that's about where the similarities end.
MC either got called a incel, a loser, a simp, or a Nice Guy™.
- A incel is a guy who fails to get attention, relationships or lays from women in general because of physical shortcomings or mental "limitations" (shy, awkward, insecure to the level of self-sabotage).
- A simp is a guy who bends over backwards to get validation from women, so much so that the relationship dynamic is very disproportionate in terms of gives and gets between the two parties. It's often out of blind/naive affection.
- A Nice Guy is a dude who does good deeds to women expecting sex or affection in return. It's fundamentally different from a simp but both can be "incels".
- A loser is someone who's a failure in general. It's vague and it's mostly used as a insult.
Those labels are rooted in "normal" emotional frameworks.
Here's the thing: MC got cheated on by ex-gf and ex-best friend. Ego is born as its own big boy within his mind as a defense mechanism, it's emergent psychopathy. And psychopathy reframes intent. It stop being about love and becomes more or less about power and control as means for self-protection.
From the beginning, MC been at a tug-of-war between himself and his Ego, which is practically its own character. The Ego has its own agenda and has been the driving force behind almost every action in the story. Whenever Edward and Ego are 'talking', you can see them going at it: Edward wants to assume good intent, Ego weaponizes distrust and encourages emotional detachment and Ego stays winning.
- He sleeps with his neighbor not out of attraction, but because he needs a win. An ego boost.
- He makes her jealous afterward not as an emotional reaction because he wants her, but because her longing feeds his self-image.
- He goes after Alice because it aligns with the Ego’s endgame: getting the damn oil baron's daughter.
- He hangs out with his "friend" not for companionship, but as a means to a bigger payoff.
There’s a consistent pattern: none of his choices are emotionally driven in the conventional sense. He doesn’t care how others feel. He doesn’t assign moral value to actions. He only cares whether a choice is useful to Him.
That's why I fail to see your point about "finding other things than simping for Alice to make being a better person worth it" as an implicit goal from the writer/dev. At no point in the story is the question "does the end justify the means?" ever asked, neither by Elsa nor by the Ego, which are the two main decision-makers in the story.
He doesn't—at any point—have lovey-dovey thoughts about Alice. She's a shiny object he wants really damn bad to show it off, a trophy. He doesn't do Alice's homework (aka simping for her) to please her or get a pat on the back, he’s doing it to secure access. Same reason he smashes his face into a door: it creates an artificial opportunity to interact, which would otherwise be impossible from their current social standings. It also allows him to create an opening to talk to her without giving away his intent which would put him in a vulnerable position and Ego doesn't want him in vulnerable positions.
What I'm trying to say: the loser/incel/simp/nice guy labels do not apply to a character who doesn't operate on the same emotional mechanisms as everybody else. I think it's hella reductive.