He doesn't answer. Instead, he takes a drag off his cigarette, and blows the smoke into the air.

"There's nothing wrong with being self-centered," he says, "or self-obsessed. I'm both those things. Of all the shitty things about me, I think those things are relatively minor." Another drag. "What is shitty, my dear, is being those things and pretending you are not. You invited me to come to you for comfort, and when I sought comfort, tried to confide in you, you ended up just upset about your own life. And then Bastien ended up cross with me for bullying you. I felt deceived and villainous."

He flicks ash off the end of his cigarette. "Take this with a grain of salt, because I'm a piece of shit. But you cannot be a good friend until you understand yourself. You don't have to be perfect - you don't even have to be good. But you have to be honest."