In this edition of the New York Times' "Text to Text" series, Books@Work Executive Director Ann Kowal Smith writes about Franz Kafka's story "The Metamorphosis" alongside a 2016 article "How Social Isolation is Killing Us." "The Metamorphosis" provokes reflection and discussion about modern feelings of loneliness and disconnection that speak to empirical studies about the effects of loneliness. The article includes excerpts from both texts and questions for writing and discussion.