Then they were probably never a real friend.

I would suggest hanging around with a different type of people then.  There are nice and honorable people out there.  I have found them.  There seems to be not enough of them to go around, but they exist.  They tend to hang out together and avoid the less honorable people.

You're probably just hanging around with the wrong people, or work where you have to deal with those type of people constantly.  In your line of work, you deal with the worst of society, so its easy to become cynical.

Me, I will talk to almost anyone, and have met people of all different races, creeds, religions, colors, nationalities, etc.  One thing I have noticed is that some people live or work in very negative environments and that effects their outlook on life and on friends.  People who work in the government, or are poor, or work for certain companies or in certain industries tend to be very cynical and be surrounded by negative and sometimes abusive people.

I have seen people flourish after changing who they hang out with to more supportive and caring people.

If your "friends" would all betray you, then perhaps you should look somewhere else to find friends.  And your neighborhood and workplace may not be the best place to look if they are all negative people and/or people who are not honorable.

True.  A real friend will never betray you.

Of course, this has gotten me thinking about how we define friends in the first place.

Possible definitions:

1. Someone who is supportive of you and helps you grow and develop and reach your full potential in life.
2. Someone who truly cares about you.
3. Someone who you hang around with and have fun with.
4. Someone who covers for you when you have done something you shouldn't have.
5. People you hang around with because you work with them or attend the same functions (church, etc.) or have the same interests.
   

I'm sure there are more definitions, but those are the ones I think of.  And people can be more than one of the above to you.

I would call people who fall under #1 and/or #2 as friends or acquaintances depending on the bond we have, #3 as buddies, #4 as a partner-in-crime and #5 as acquaintances and possibly buddies.

A friend is one of the nicest things you can have, and one of the best things you can be.

Only your real friends will tell you when your face is dirty. 

A real friend is better than diamonds, they shine when you are in the dark and sparkle when you are down, there are invaluable.