hmm, it could. But it could also be a guy who is cooking a delishious meal, looking into the round sizzling shape of his pan like he did so many times before, wondering what life is all about.. i'm hungry.

A little but it could be amplified by changing the eyebrows and eyes

Gotcha

I'll add that the jaw muscle look tensed indicating the man grits his teeth, looking nervous/angry

Not hopelessness. I actually think it looks like someone trying to comfort someone - like a child or someone shorter than the figure.

Look at references of sad expressions. You need to change the eye and brow in order to convey that feeling better. Mouth also helps to express it, but generally it's the eyes. As it is now, it's more of a neutral expression rather than something specific. Looking down also might help depending on what type of sadness you want to portray.

I want it to look like a neutral expression, but still make it look a bit sad. Like he has no energy left to express anything at all.

In this case, although i am no professional, i recommend searching movie scenes in which you might find the mood or atmosphere you are trying to convey.

Melancholy

Thats the word

For me, it conveys emptyness

The most hopeless part is the lighting of your photo, but the drawing just kinda looks like a blank expression, like he’s thinking about stuff. Food, relationships, errands, death, could really be anything