Ask him what's going on!

"What was the advice?" You ask politely. His eyes shoot back up to you, then briefly to the ground again, then finally settle on you as he continues talking.

"Well, she said that- y'know, it's kind of just worth it to try talk to people, even though I don't because it gets all embarrassing -- am I talking too much?"

"Nah you good."

"Okay thank you." He breathes in deeply. "She said before I left that -- well, you know, people are either going to like you or not like you, right? You- you can't really change that. So if you try to make a friend and it doesn't go well, then they were never going to be a friend anyway, so you haven't really lost anything. But if you miss out on the chance to make a friend because you're scared, then you're stealing a bit of happiness from yourself. She- she's an electrician."

"Good." You nod.

That's not bad advice! It's kind of like Ben's actually.