Whatever one's profession may be, according to Vonnegut, they always will belong to an artificial extended family along with all of the other people that they happen to share a profession with. In Slapstick , the Swain twins come up with an idea for artificial extended families while they are segregated from the rest of society. They come up with the idea, which the rest of the fictional society seems to view as pure genius, to fill their own void of a family. It is put into effect by Wilbur Swain years later, after he is separated from his sister. A wife is not enough.
Characters start by looking for a single companion.
In Breakfast of Champions , Kilgore Trout is a very lonely man. He is constantly looking for someone. He travels halfway across the country because of the one person who likes his works. Throughout his entire trip, Trout talks to everyone. He tries to create some kind of relationship with every person that he meets, failing in each attempt.