[Antoninus]

I see nothing wrong with old (or young) folks who are alone and have no family sharing the same house as roommates.

Yeah, but how often does it happen? You may notice that by the age of 40 or so, most people are so set in their ways as to make living with someone else difficult to say the least. And they get more set in their ways and difficult as they age--particularly if they've never had to be considerate of another human being sharing their living space before.

[A Ruckus of Dogs]

most people are so set in their ways as to make living with someone else difficult to say the least.

I don't have any statistics on old folks in boarding houses but it would sure be interesting to see them. I did know a fellow who shared his house with 2 other unrelated people. Everyone seemed happy and able to get along.

I would say that, with a lot more people choosing to forego children than at anytime in history, it will become more common. Of course, people will have to decide what's more important - human company or their own living space.

[tortoise]

Yeah, but how often does it happen? You may notice that by the age of 40 or so, most people are so set in their ways as to make living with someone else difficult to say the least.

This would probably be true if one has lived alone most of their life, but there is an increasingly large segment of the population under 40 that has lived with non-relative roommates a significant portion of their lives (myself included). In some parts of the country, this is almost normal. Originally driven by economic realities, it has flourished because it creates a de facto family for people who either do not live close to their biological families or aren't psychologically/emotionally close to their biological families.