Emotional alienation creates a deeper loneliness than being alone. The core variable of loneliness is not the quantity of interpersonal interactions, but the quality of emotional resonance. When you are with someone who cannot resonate with you on an emotional level, you will fall into a state of "desolate companionship." The harm caused by this kind of relationship lies in its deprivation of our basic desire to be "seen," causing us to repeatedly experience disappointment in the process of trying to connect, ultimately living in a state of even deeper desolation among the crowd than when alone.