The Screwtape Letters – C. S. Lewis (1942)
This statement could be applied to a lot of other situations. There is nothing worse, in my eyes that trying to fit-in somewhere you do not, or you are not allowed to. Cliques are a very hard nut to crack from the outside and more often than not, impossible if the group has already decided that you are the wrong sort for them.
What I find harder to understand is that some people, regardless of the opposition still decide that they will doggedly strive for acceptance. Now I kind of get-it if it is a necessity of work, career, family life etc. in that they may have limited options but, there are some that undertake a kind of moral campaign to remain regardless of an often-blatant atmosphere of condemnation.
To my mind there are only a few ways of addressing this.
If you have no choice then do the minimum to comply, but get out if you can.
If you choose to put yourself in this situation simply to ingratiate yourself in a circle that you are not suited to, and the above quote fits how you feel, then you deserve everything you get, good and bad.
As to me … I would never compromise myself simply try and conform to anything.