“What loneliness is more lonely than distrust?”

“He distrusted her affection; and what loneliness is more lonely than distrust.”

“I’ve always judged places and times by how lonely they felt. The entire Midwest, for example, strikes me as horrifically lonely, Indiana more so than Wisconsin and Wisconsin more so than Ohio or Illinois. Coasts are dependably less lonely than inland areas while the warmer latitudes are noticeably less lonely than the colder ones. Hardware stores feel lonely while bookstores do not. Mornings are lonelier than afternoons, while the hours before dawn can be devastating. Vienna is lonelier than Paris or London, while Los Angeles is lonelier than San Francisco or Boston. The Atlantic Ocean is lonelier than the Pacific while the Caribbean is not lonely at all...”

“It is more shameful to distrust one's friends than to be deceived by them”

“It is more shameful to distrust our friends than to be deceived by them.”

“What was the point in such loneliness among people. At least if you were by yourself, you had a good reason to be lonely.”