I thought this was interesting for two reasons. First, does this quote suggest that who a person surrounds himself or herself with defines him or her? While it may be harder to remain upstanding while having base friends, I do not think it determines whether that person is base or not. It depends more on how the person handles the base actions of their friends. If they turn a blind eye or, worse, support bad actions, then I would agree the friend is making them worse off. However, if you can help a friend move away from poor actions, I think it may make the person better. Overall, I just thought this was an interesting commentary on socialization. Secondly, this relates to symposium decorum, as we have discussed. Having base individuals at a dinner may impede upon the status of the event. Individuals with bad reputations or who will act out are a weight to the event. While everyone else in the room may be good and upright individuals, but they will be brought down by a morally questionable individual. It is important to be very careful about who you bring to the dinner.