Those in the Imperial Core will never understand that what they consider unbearable hardship and boredom is actually a life of luxury that the vast majority of people on Earth cannot even imagine.
The international division of labor is 1000x more important and impactful than the domestic one.
The people in that scenario have time for hobbies, games, organizations and friends and are actively choosing not to participate in them. People working that little in this day and age, where even many Americans are running 2 jobs, have nigh on infinite possibilities of leisure activities right at their disposal. If you are not a social person, sure it's gonna be more difficult, but there is nothing actually preventing this kind of person from living a more fulfilling life outside of sheer ennui. Hell he could start a garden with all that backyard space he has.