Why do we say "Misery Loves Company"?

Meaning:

Unhappy people like other people to be unhappy too, or to put a somewhat more positive spin on it, fellow sufferers make unhappiness easier to bear.

Background:

This expression is often cited as originating from Publilius Syrus who lived in the first century BC. Brought as a slave from Syria (presumed from his given name) to provincial Italy, his intelligence won favor from his master and later his freedom. However, this would appear to be one of the many expressions that cannot be reliably attributed to him (although we have many others to thank him for including some that ring particularly true these days such as "a good reputation is more valuable than money."

An early reference to the expression in English is found in the writings of Richard Rolle, an English hermit and mystic who lived during the first half of the 14th century and, according to scholarly research, was probably one of the most widely read English writers of the time period.

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