A loyal friend laughs at your jokes when they’re not so good, and sympathizes with your problems when they’re not so bad.

Glasow’s line defines loyalty less as admiration for your brilliance than as a steady generosity of spirit. The “not so good” joke and the “not so bad” problem are deliberately ordinary: true friendship is shown in small, frequent acts—choosing encouragement over pedantry, and empathy over dismissal. The friend’s laughter and sympathy are not presented as dishonest, but as charitable; they smooth the rough edges of daily life and protect the relationship from the constant scoring of who is witty enough or suffering enough. The epigram also hints that loyalty involves discretion: a friend helps you save face, and helps you feel seen, even when the stakes are minor.