The concept of proto-ethics is missing in ethical theory. It refers to a domain that is evaluative in an ethically-relevant sense, but falls short of moral prescriptivity. In this paper I explore the characteristics of the proto-ethical with an emphasis on the role of mood and affect, especially with reference to Heidegger's concept of attunement (Befiendlichkeit). I explain the sense in which the moody aspect of human existence forms necessary (but insufficient) conditions for the possibility and intelligibility of ethics.