Isolation feels safe until you need information. A fortress cuts you off from allies, early warnings, and subtle shifts that only crowds reveal.
Move among people, even if you trust few. Maintain multiple channels for news, favors, and feedback so you hear changes before they become facts. In crowds you can blend, listen, and reposition. Alone you become a fixed target.
Use privacy for planning, not as a permanent home. Power is maintained through networks, not walls. Stay near where decisions form: corridors, meetings, informal talk. That is where alliances shift and threats appear.
Isolation breeds fantasy. You start imagining motives instead of observing them. And fantasy makes you clumsy. Remain connected enough to stay informed, and distant enough to stay safe. Balance is the protection.