Sentence:  “I don't mean all of your friends—only a small proportion—which, however, connects your circle with that deadly, idle, brainless bunch—the insolent chatterers at the opera, the gorged dowagers, the worn-out, passionless men,nb..., the speed-mad fugitives from the furies of ennui, the <WSD>neurotic</WSD> victims of mental cirrhosis,nb...!” 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  Overly anxious.