We can all laugh at this, but the reality is that building and maintaining a social circle isn't as easy as it once was. It requires genuine effort and a little bit of luck these days, and if it ever slips away entirely one can be effectively crippled. The fact that society is in such a shape where this can be a regular occurrence rather than a wild and unheard of aberration is frankly horrific.

I recognized this phenomenon years ago and now make a conscious effort within my own sphere to try and drag people out of their houses to come be sociable with a group of other people in the hopes that we can all build and maintain some of those social bonds that are so important and increasingly hard to find.