misanthropic tendencies

Two friends of mine recently compared me to Hugh Grant in 'About A Boy' (mostly the beginning) and Emile Hirsch from 'Into The Wild' (until the last minute or so). I initially considered them compliments, although I sensed they were meant as accusations. Each statement was laced with sympathetic sarcasm, and it made me wonder, for half a second, if their 'concerns' were justified. So I watched both movies again and concluded about the same thing--still compliments--with an addition: I don't see solitude as a negative thing. Yes, movies romance the idea of interdependence on one another, often punishing a character for striking off on their own, and even going so far as to condemn isolation in character, setting and other thematic components. Why is the fear of a solitary prison so commonly projected onto those who embrace their seclusion? I understand that conformity calls to some as a vampire to it's victim; they are entranced by it. But when did accepting this life and spreading it become one? Are they linked? Is their happiness now interdependent on reception and reflection of societal expectations? I find the idea incredibly ironic. And I feel sorry for those who are trapped in that world.