Sometimes a group stays comfortable by quietly agreeing that no one will ask too much of anyone else.
Field Notes
The moment someone says what they actually feel, the room changes. A fork pauses, a glance drops, someone reaches too quickly for another subject. No one has to be openly cruel; the group only has to help the evening move on.
What looks like independence can become a shared refusal to need, answer, or be changed by one another. Everyone remains pleasant, and no one is truly met.