He was being social reaching out to old peers hoping that he could chat it up be himself. It was fun to catch up instead of being kept out. Taking on bad attitudes not feeding into bad vibes.
Motivation by the uninspired when around them. With the overachievers not feeling on that level working twice as hard behind the scenes working in private.
Being positive around negative people staying out of the drama being more private but feeling isolated by those that he cared for not feeling like an equal among them.