Why does Chinese society dislike people who prefer to be alone? Because fitting in requires a blood oath; it's not something you can achieve just by being friendly or trying to please others. Not fitting in essentially means you don't want to swear the oath, and swearing the oath means acting together. The most basic level is walking together or going to the bathroom in school. Deeper than that is complaining about others together. Even deeper is hanging out together, and even deeper is private gatherings. The highest level of fitting in is like being on a ship for meetings—you do everything to prove you're one of them. As you move toward higher levels, you'll encounter many purification stages. If you can't pass these stages, you can't form deeper relationships. Skipping team-building activities shows you're unwilling to invest time and effort, and the label of being aloof and antisocial sticks to you. Your relationships stay at this level. If you don't give emotional value, refuse to join in cricket fights, it shows you're unwilling to sacrifice face and go against your own ideas, and your relationships stay here. If you get angry when asked to be a punching bag or scapegoat, it shows you value your dignity, and your relationships stay here. If you refuse to attend the silver party, it indicates you're unwilling to damage family ties, leave behind evidence, or commit immoral acts, and your relationships stay here. If you refuse to do dirty work like illegal activities, it shows you'll ultimately choose self-preservation under immense pressure, and your relationships stay here. In short, the more you want to deepen your circle to gain material benefits and the freedom to dominate and influence others, the more you have to lose your self and the freedom to do what you like in solitude, and the deeper you get tied to others. Because in this society, mass-producing villains and petty people is common, and loyalty and trust are the most scarce.