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FOR DOTCOM, THE feeling of no longer being pushed back gave enough space to realise how empty the space around him had become. For years, he had been someone with whom the party would travel, if he wished it. Now he was a man alone. It was a new way of living which evolved in keeping with his fortunes — as the money left, so did those drawn to the fun it bought.

"I've always been disappointed all my life by people so it wasn't a surprise to me. That's the world we are living in, that's the reality. People are nice to you as long as you are on top and they think they can get something out of you. Once that thinking is gone and they think 'Oh, there is nothing for me to gain anymore' they just disappear and move onto the next thing."

There is a bizarre loneliness which comes with it — and a social isolation which keeps money concentrated on money. Dotcom explains: "That's why rich people really keep to themselves. Everyone is going through the same shit." Go win the lottery, he says. Get $200 million overnight and see what happens. It is the same for anyone who has money. "Everyone always has a great idea, has sick relatives, has all kinds of emergency issues. You would be disgusted about the amount of dishonesty that is being thrown at you on a daily basis."

Dotcom said life would consistently and disappointingly throw up the reality of wealth and its isolating effect, even with people he would think would be his "inner circle". There's a relationship building and a friendship and, eventually, there is a meeting with "people telling me stories, telling me lies, trying to get something out of me... And it's always happening in a way where they don't even make an effort — make at least an effort and give me some convincing story as to why you need this investment, why you need this help, why you are in trouble. People just make shit up and it's just so frustrating."

"Once you're in a certain sphere of wealth, you block yourself in and really reduce the amount of new people you meet because it is happening constantly all the time."

The reality is a social horizon which becomes limited. When meeting new people, feelers go out to establish their wellbeing and wealth to "make sure they are well off and they will not bother you". Good ideas, he said, are always welcome. Good ideas are exciting. "I'm interested always in new opportunities but the problem is that 95 per cent of the stuff that comes to you is just nuts. Stupid. Crap."

Prior to New Zealand, in Hong Kong, there was a small circle of friends. "It was a good thing because I didn't want to have these kinds of experiences all the time where people just lie to your face, make stuff up, think you are some kind of idiot who is not seeing straight through the bullshit." Dotcom, a good poker player, has an insightful knack of finding a route to the truth. Half an hour of asking the right questions

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