Several philosophers and writers have written on the paradox of loneliness in a crowd. Monica's circumstances seem no different. In an overcrowded world, she merely sits at home, attempting to be content with two inventions her husband has presumably created (Teddy and David). Maybe David's presence is one of both companionship and preparation for her own real child, an opportunity that presents itself at the end of the story.

Loneliness is evidently a problem in this future society. It is seen in both Monica and in the several comments Henry makes about bio-electronic beings eliminating loneliness. Even David feels isolated and alone in this world, and he is perhaps the most human among Teddy and the serving-man. David has developed some sense of what love is, and wishes he could show it to Monica. Monica's reluctance to move beyond the synthetics prevents their relationship from moving beyond women-android.

Using Monica as a sample of this society, the lonely people of the future have a problem communicating with others. When David runs off to his room, Monica "went and sat in her living room... She began by sitting and thinking; soon she was just sitting. Time waited on her shoulder with the maniac slowth it reserves for children, the insane, and wives whose husbands are away improving the world." She seems so ditached from any social life that just wasting the time away by doing nothing is an acceptible activity. Robots may fulfill a physical need, such as house keeping or other forms of assistance, but they cannot fulfill the void of loneliness if the human continues to be withdrawn. At the same time, a human who isn't withdrawn may not be lonely, a vicious circle indeed.

Emotions also lay at the center of the future society's problems. Monica is just as incapable as her robot-son David at expressing love, and she is the one who should not be at a loss for expressing true emotion. People seem to be creating solutions to problems that exist within the boundaries of humanity. No robot can ever express true emotion and understanding without a human brain, just as no human could ever handle information like a computer without having some brain attachment to a machine.