Friendship is a major theme in the book. G. I. Gurdjieff treasures the friendships he makes along his life journey. He never seeks out the superficial acquaintances that sometimes pass for friendship. His friends come to him as fellows curious enough about the world and life to ask the deep philosophical questions and travel the world in search of the answers. One friend takes a superficial angle at the whole idea and makes money off of it, which Gurdjieff considers not the best and probably the worse way of handling spirituality. Gurdjieff joins in briefly and sees the humor in it, but his way is to eventually found the Institute for the Harmonious Development of Man.