I like being alone and spend most of my days alone, but not having the choice to socialize would make me itchy. Gotta sate the urge to boogie every once in a blue moon.

Which leads into your point -- the author didn't/doesn't have that temporary notion of "This will pass; For now, just get me away from these people." He's in it for life-o and has a totally different set of realities to cope with than a transient convict.