But it's better than nothing. All physiology, no physics. And, of course, the verisimilitude of their surroundings does not entirely correspond to the reality of physical life. It is clearly a fake. But in our world they no longer have legal rights or a vote.
Copies can and do interact with each other.
Egan's virtual community is rich in detail. One character, who dies accidentally before acquiring enough wealth for an optimal life as a Copy, is visited in the virtual slums by a charitable woman. She takes him to the Slow Clubs, where poorer Copies like himself meet, and shows him how to live more fully on the fringes. Before Paul Drummond, few with a viable body, though they may visit a Copy in their virtual world, have ever chosen to burn their bridges and stay in such an existence. Egan's description of how unsettling such a life might be is detailed and superb, digging deep into the unspoken givens which make human life worth living.