"Have you ever lived in a really bad house?" Rona asked. "Like, really really bad? Layers-of-filth type of bad?"

"Do you mean house, or housemates?" Miranda asked.

"Housemates, I mean. I mean real He Died With a Felafel in His Hands type bad."

"I haven't read that book" Miranda said. "I've had plenty of housemates that I've complained about, but I guess none that are that bad when you really think about it."

"Me neither" Rona said. "I kind of feel like I've missed out."

"On what?"

"Experience."

"You've never been shot, either" Miranda pointed out. "Never been stabbed. Never been beaten up. Doesn't mean you're missing out."

"I know" Rona admitted. "It's funny."

"This whole thing is funny" Miranda said. "I mean when you think about it. Feeling compelled to share a house with people you don't know, or don't know that well, or haven't known for very long."

"If I could afford to live by myself . . ." Rona began, but then she stopped to think about it.

"But you wouldn't, though, would you?" Miranda prompted her. "Because we're social. Social creatures. But it just seems weird, going and living with a bunch of people you're not related to. And we do it without even thinking about it. It's, like, automatic. Instinctive."

"They've done studies" Rona said. "Showing how . . ." she paused - "depressed people get when they don't have any contact with other people. I saw it on the T.V. On the A.B.C."

"Do you think it's society, or genes?"

"Oh, it's gotta be genetic!" Rona said. "I mean all over the world it's the same, people living in communities, villages, towns, cities, making friends to spend their time with. That has to mean something."

"I just think that's such a trip" Miranda said. "We're doing this thing, living in a sharehouse, and we can put it into words to explain it and rationalise it but it's not something we even have a choice in."

"Of course you've got a choice!" Rona said.

"Between what, living in a sharehouse or trying to live by ourselves, paying so much in rent that we can't afford to do anything? Can't even afford to eat properly?"

"Yeah, but now you're talking about rental prices" Rona said. "That's society."