But besides his frequent absences, there was another barrier to friendship with him; he seemed of a reserved, an abstracted, and even a brooding nature. Zealous in his ministerial labours, blameless in his life and habits, he yet did not appear to enjoy that mental serenity, that inward content, which should be the reward of every sincere Christian and practical philanthropist.
– Charlotte Bronte
Jane Eyre, Chapter 30. While Jane finds Diana and Mary Rivers friendly and welcoming, she doesn’t have the same experience with their brother St. John. Reserved and brooding and not one to enjoy the pleasures of life, he proves difficult to make friends with.