In Germany, friendship is much more a matter of feeling and affection.Young boys and girls form deeply sensitive alliances, walk and talk together - not so much to polish their wits as to share their hopes, fears, and ideals,and to join in a kind of mutual discovery of each other's own inner life.Within the family, the closest relationship over a lifetime is between brothers and sisters.German men and women find in their closest friends among the same sex the loyalty of a brother or the devotion of a sister.English friendships follow a still different pattern. Their basis is shared activity.They may share literary interests, serve on a committee, enjoy sports together or share a mutual love of walking.Close English friendships may be of the same sex or of mixed gender; friends may be found in two people, two couples or even a small group.English friendships are made outside the family but can often be enhanced by becoming an integrated part of a family's social life.What, then, is friendship and what is its significance?To summarize, it's a vital human quality that can bind people together for life.
