How many friends do we need?

Once a man came to a famous sage and asked:

• Teacher, I want to know how many friends a person should have, I have heard the saying "Don't have a hundred pieces of silver, but have a hundred friends". But it seems to me that if I try to have many friends for myself, it will seem artificial, moreover, you will not always immediately understand what kind of person the other person is and whether he has the ability to make real friends, and I am not even sure of myself in this matter...
• I will answer you, - said the teacher, - or rather you will get the answer yourself. You see that tall apple tree, it is the tallest apple tree in the world, go and bring me an apple from the highest peak. The man raised his head and saw the apple illuminated by the sun's rays and said:
• But teacher, that apple is really very high, how can I reach it?
• And you call your friend, and you will reach it together, - answered the sage.

The man called his friend, stood on his shoulders, but the apple was still too far away.
-No, nothing works, -he whispered in despair.
-Don't you have any friends either? -the teacher smiled.
The man called a few more people, they struggled, stretched themselves, climbed onto each other's shoulders, built a "living pyramid", but the structure collapsed, people fell and never managed to reach the top.
Seeing all this, the wise man called the man to him and said:
-Now you understand how much a person needs real friends.
-Yes, I understood from the teacher, -the man said, stretching his bound leg, -it is very necessary, so that together we can solve any problem.
The teacher shook his head sadly.
-It seems so, you need to have many friends, or just one smart person who came up with something bright. <>: