Binx is a man with few friends who has difficulty forming and maintaining long-lasting relationships. He is so poor at keeping friends that he notes, ‘the last time I had friends was eight years ago”(41) In relationships, both romantic or platonic, Binx feels he has to live up to grand expectations and is uncertain how to do so. When he feels like these expectations are not being met his mood dampens and he leaves. With his secretaries, Binx would have a great time in the beginning, and then when the novelty of it wore off and it no longer met expectations he would end it instead of trying to make it work. This is illustrated multiple times throughout in non-romantic relationships. The Moviegoer. One instance of this is with Walter Wade and the houseboat. Binx originally thought it would be a good idea to get the houseboat with the boys, but after a while, he found it boring and became depressed (40). Similar feelings are felt while he is hiking the Appalachian Trail. He is traveling with two friends and he thinks to himself, “they deserve to be happy, If only I could make them happy” (41). Binx leaves this trip and heads back to New Orleans to live a solitary life in Gentilly. The pressure Binx feels in friendly relationships is highlighted while he is with Walter.
“Whenever I am with him, I feel the stretch of the old tightrope, the necessity of living up to the friendship of friendships, of cultivating an intimacy beyond words” (40)
Binx projects these feelings of inadequacy on other people he observes during his journeys around the city. At the beginning of the book, Binx is watching a young couple on their honeymoon. He describes their situation as one where the husband is nervous that the honeymoon is not good enough and the wife is upset because she doesn’t know what is wrong (15). He quickly labels them as unhappy, which in reality is impossible for him to know by briefly looking at them on the street. He creates this story with his ideas and not the facts of their life. He is imposing his anxious feelings and experiences with relationships on them.
His relationship with Kate is different from his previous relationships. Unlike his past relationships, Binx and Kate have a clear understanding of each other and what they require. He can be with Kate because, unlike the other people he has kept the company of, Kate needs him. Her troubles and anxiety make her reliant on Binx to function. With Kate, Binx is constantly needed for reassurance and support which gives him a clear task and purpose in their relationship.