Hellenos and Draco,
Thanks for your interest in my topic on Cicero and his approaches to friendship within the Roman political arena. True enough, friendship for the boni appears to be limited to opportunistic ties with peers (amicitia) and long lists of clientia, all owing the great benefactor something so that he could call in his debts when necessary.
So far as Cicero is concerned, one of my sources (R. J. Rowland) was able to trace 95 people and some few organizations which he considered to be his necessarii. If we didn't have his voluminous personal letters of course, we wouldn't know all this. He is interesting because his life is so well documented, leaving us with an impression of great egoism and tremendous energy. From my readings, he had extremely superficial relationships with most of his political "friends". They were in constant competion or were viewed as tools, whereas with Atticus, an Equestrian businessman, perhaps Cicero was more himself. In my opinion, especially where politics were concerned, Cicero did not shine. The Catalarian affair was a fiasco for which he paid a large political debt.
If he didn't destroy the Republic, his personal feud with Antonius, certainly hassened the end.This is my area of close focus and I find his manipulation of Plancus in the name of friendshipquite shabby. His writings are still respected although most of his philosophical opinions were Greek concepts spun with Roman stoicsm, not terrribly original.
He was extremelyself-contradictory and I have a pet theory that his mental health was a cause of his instability as well as his amazing energy and intelligence. Bi-polar anyone?
Sorry this is lengthy, I will gladly read the trial of C. in the archives.