Friendship in the highest degree is that between good men. Friendship is not a feeling, but a disposition, because it requires intention. Young men become friends much more quickly and easily than older men, although the latter may still be well-disposed toward others. It is impossible to have a perfect friendship with many people, because such a friendship takes a long time to build and requires a lot of time to maintain. But one may have many friends on the basis of usefulness or pleasure.
Friendship based on pleasure is higher than that based on usefulness.
Another kind of friendship is that in which one of the parties is superior, such as the friendship between a parent and a child. In these relationships the two friends give and receive different things and also have different types of affection toward each other. Equality according to justice and equality according to friendship are different. In justice equality is primarily according to merit, but in friendship it is primarily according to quantity that is, the more unequal two people with regard to wealth, virtue, status, etc., the more unlikely it will be for a friendship to develop. Because most people wish to be liked more than to like, most people like flatterers, who are friends in an inferior position.