don't know if this is essential reading, but I thought that 4.7 million people in the UK not having a single friend is a shocking idea
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/aug/12/one-in-ten-people-have-no-close-friends-relate
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/aug/12/one-in-ten-people-have-no-close-friends-relate