can i just point out that Joel was a loner for third life. he was a deranged crazy person loner during last life. in double life he had a solid alliance of two (2). in limited life he had a solid alliance of three (3)!! and with the mounders he had an alliance of… four!!!! now you might think oh fun. moving on. but no!!! the tragedy of the life series is that they are trapped in an endless cycle. the canary the widow’s alliance the dogs the crastle the seasons whatever. but Joel? he’s breaking out of his narrative.