As lesswhiny is definitely not the culprit in my game, clearly it's something else.
I blame something non-awesome... This may be a good thing. The last thing Servo needs is a bunch of friends that will drag down his efficiency as factory labor with having to stop every day to maintain those.
Lesswhiny was my problem. All of my hacks are awesome, so there was no disputing it. I want Servo to interact because I intend on making him the immortal owner of my dominant family's business. I don't want to loose perks and I don't want to have to deal with passing them on. Also, he can make friends and hire whatever townies I decide to not kill.