Lots of people are like stereotypes. Especially when you describe them concisely. That's why the stereotypes are even remotely amusing. If this guy values trav

Lots of people are like stereotypes. Especially when you describe them concisely. That's why the stereotypes are even remotely amusing. If this guy values travel, biographical writing, and friendship, and you value eccentricity, uniqueness, and nonconformity, that's just a difference between you. He's describing his friends to show that he has actual relationships with actual people who write actual things that are on his actual desk... which is the reason he can't be reading everything strangers send to him. Beyond that, he's making a larger point about how it is rude, selfish, and immoral of Alan to make claims on his time and energy, because it's a failure to let him have his own life and choose his own activity. And then also he's saying he values friendship over genius. Even if Alan's Shakespeare research were truly groundbreaking and fascinating, he'd still choose to read his friends' books, because for him that's the value of literature: empathy, connection, civility, etc. You might find his values banal or uninteresting, and that's fine.