It's good to have company in trouble.

A difficult experience can feel more bearable when another person is there to share it. The trouble may remain, but companionship can ease the sense of isolation.

The proverb can also express relief in knowing that someone else faces the same setback. Its comfort lies in solidarity, not in a promise that company will solve the problem.

Use it as a sympathetic observation when people are going through a difficulty together, or when someone finds comfort in another person's presence during a hard time. It need not suggest that the difficulty itself is welcome.