In Harold Bloom's "How to Read and Why," he highlights the importance of reading as a way to connect with others. We engage with literature partly because we can't interact with everyone we wish to know. Books provide a unique gateway to explore human experiences and emotions that we might otherwise miss in our limited personal relationships.

Bloom also emphasizes the fragility of friendships, suggesting they can easily fade due to various life circumstances. He notes that through reading, we can find solace and understanding in the shared human condition, experiencing the depth of relationships and emotions that books provide, compensating for the vulnerabilities in our real-life connections.