The situation is what counts, and the situation was that social intercourse for me was getting painful and difficult.

On the other hand, it must be stated that on rare occasions, on very rare occasions, I did meet rare souls, or fools like me, with whom I could spend magnificent hours among the stars, or in the paradise of fools.

I was married to a rare soul, or a fool, who never bored me and who was always a source of new and unending surprise and delight.

But I could not spend all my hours solely in her company.
Nor would it have been fair, nor wise, to compel her to spend all her hours in my company.

Besides, I had written a string of successful books, and society demands some portion of the recreative hours of a fellow that writes books.