There Are No Friends in the World of Heroin

Early in the novel, Sick Boy states categorically that in the circle with which he and Renton run, there are no friends, only associates. Everybody is looking out for number one, and though temporary entanglements emerge in the common experiences of these junkies, no one is ever more than an associate.

The primary reason for this sad fact has nothing to do with selfishness or cynicism; it has to do with addiction. There are no friends in this world because no one who is addicted to heroin cared about friendship. Nor do they care about employment, family, personal nutrition, or anything other than the availability of the next score. The perfect example of this is the death of Baby Dawn in It Goes Without Saying. The group is woken by Lesley's screaming. Everyone is momentarily shocked to realize her child...