Meaning & Analysis
A direct warning to avoid associating with immoral or wicked people, because doing so will inevitably lead you to become like them, thus adding one more to their ranks.
Insights
Influence as Contagion
The proverb suggests that morality and behavior are like a contagion. Associating with 'ill men' exposes one to their negative influence, leading to the 'infection' and adoption of their corrupt traits and habits.
Identity and Association
It speaks to the fluid nature of personal identity, which is shaped and defined by social circles. By keeping bad company, one's own character erodes and is ultimately absorbed into the collective identity of the group.
Reputation and Perception
The proverb serves as a pragmatic warning about the loss of reputation. Regardless of one's own character, being seen with unsavory individuals taints one by association, effectively making them 'one of the number' in the eyes of society.
Moral Contagion
This proverb reflects a deep-seated belief in moral contagion, where character traits are seen as transmissible through social contact. It underscores a historical and cultural anxiety about the power of social influence to corrupt an individual's nature and reputation.
Psychology of Conformity
The warning taps into the psychological principle of conformity and social learning, where individuals subconsciously adopt the behaviors, attitudes, and norms of their peer group to gain acceptance. Shakespeare's quotation from '2 Henry IV' vividly illustrates this, showing how a master and his servants mutually corrupt one another through association.
Social Responsibility
The phrase 'increase the number' is a powerful and subtle rhetorical choice. It implies not just personal degradation but also a contribution to the growth of societal corruption, framing the choice of company as an act with broader social consequences.
Cultural Universality
The concept is universally recognized, as seen in cross-cultural parallels like 'Who keeps company with the wolf will learn to howl.' This highlights a shared human understanding that identity is profoundly shaped by one's associations.
Rhetorical Devices
Imperative Mood
The proverb is structured as a command ('Keep not...'), giving it a direct, authoritative, and cautionary tone. This imperative form presents the advice as an urgent moral directive.
Causal Structure
The use of 'lest' establishes a clear and persuasive cause-and-effect relationship, logically linking the action (keeping bad company) to its inevitable, negative consequence (becoming one of them).
Understatement
The phrase 'increase the number' is a formal and somewhat detached way of stating the stark outcome of becoming wicked. This understatement adds a sense of grim finality and inevitability to the warning.
Transcription
Quotations
According to the proverbe, A friend of fooles wil become like unto them.
(Keep not ill company lest).
Shakespeare Citations
It is a wonderful thing to see the semblable coherence of his men's spirits and his. They, by observing of him, do bear themselves like foolish justices; he, by conversing with them, is turned into a justice-like servingman.
Cross References
Related Proverbs
Original Scan
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