Ordinary folk seemed shallow to them, trivial and inconsiderable.

And so they were unaccustomed, painfully uncouth in the simplest social intercourse, suffering, and yet insolent in their superiority.

Then beneath was the yearning for the soul-intimacy to which they could not attain because they were too dumb, and every approach to close connection was blocked by their clumsy contempt of other people.

They wanted genuine intimacy, but they could not get even normally near to anyone, because they scorned to take the first steps, they scorned the triviality which forms common human intercourse.
Paul fell under Mrs.Leivers's spell.

Everything had a religious and intensified meaning when he was with her.