Sentence 1: Mehdi was a large character in his group. 
 Sentence 3: These friends would always give him the respect he deserved 
 Sentence 4:  Despite this, Mehdi would always try hard to please them 
 Sentence 5:  He held friendship and morals in extremely high regard 
 Option 1: He would always seek the approval of his friends. 
 Option 2: He did not seek the approval of his friends at all.