Values lack intrinsic identity, they are basically the antithesis of objects. So say you have a function that computes a value...given the same arguments it will always compute the same value, even if it is not exactly the same one (e.g. 1 and 1 computed via different operations on the machine). The key defining aspect of functional programming is its value orientation (just like the key defining aspect of OOP is its object orientation). When working with values, you'll find that different abstractions and designs make more sense, like the use of functions or expressions for everything, while OOP is more biased to statements and commands.