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Cory, a charming, well-groomed, wealthy gentleman who always smiles when he walks, holds the status of untouchable, held in the highest honor by his fellow townspeople. Everyone wants his life, but nobody wants to make the effort to befriend him. It seems as if his perfection emits the impression that to acknowledge him would seem a kind of heinous act. So Richard Cory remains alone in the spotlight. The townspeople say that "so on we worked, and waited for the light", where the light signifies the riches and opportunities Cory has, but they don't realize that Cory himself waits for "the light", only his light, masked by his outward appearance, takes the form of emotional emptiness. The fulfillment of his light occurs when someone makes the effort to befriend him, by his finding a person to talk to, to relate to and socialize with. The townspeople can little fathom that the isolation and loneliness haunting Cory, the "perfect man," will drive him to suicide.
Feeling lonesome, isolated from others, whether willingly, or against one's will, can never provide enjoyment. To feel quarantined, not good enough for the company of others, when in all actuality looked at with total supremacy, gives off a sense of insecurity, and quite ironically inferiority. Friendless, a person has no one to talk to, to share problems with, or to go to for advice. It can make someone feel so alone that they no longer want to exist, and they terminate their "perfect life" because, ironically, it's not as perfect as it seems.