In literature, the term society is deployed in myriad ways to convey both abstract forces and concrete groups that shape human experience. It can denote an overarching order or hierarchy that individuals both participate in and react against, as when Kant’s work highlights the inherent tension among people within their own kind [1], or when Gibbon contrasts the noble with the slave to reveal a fractured social order [2]. At times, society stands for formal institutions and collective action, as in the anti-slavery or law societies [3], [4], or as bodies that set standards for civility and behavior, seen in references to refined London society and fashionable social circles [5], [6]. Meanwhile, many authors use it to explore the evolution and transformation of communal life—from the gradual shifts that reforge social bonds [7], [8] to the individual’s quest for acceptance within the collective [9]. Thus, “society” serves as a versatile concept, both critiquing and celebrating the intricate tapestry of human connections.