As I've said before, Malcolm could have made a lot of friends....if he kept his ego in check and his disdain for people he perceives to know less than himself, suppressed. One aspect about friendship is that you have to accept people for who they are. If you shunned anyone because you thought they were ignorant, narcissistic, crude, or whatever, then you could find youself lonely. While he may have balked at being labled a genius in the first season, over time, he became somewhat proud of it, to the point that he would betray his feelings about some kind of injustice or about anything at all he believed to be stupid. His frequent outspoken rantings and bursts of unwarranted sarcasm ( and gripes about his family to some prospective girlfriends ) gave everyone else the impression that he was a miserable, discontented, whinging killjoy. He seems to be aware of this psychological handicap during his more lucid moments, but for the most part, he seems blithely unaware how much he can piss people off. If only he could take a breather, think for a moment, and pay strict attention to what he says and does, then he'll be ok.