Very common to have an "in the trenches" mentality and to even miss it - the shared stress and common purpose drives people close together, but mostly for the wrong reasons.
I still am actively in contact with the people from "that job" and never made as strong of a bond with others, but I still wouldn't go back.
I agree and it's similar for me. The closest work friends I have are from this company and formed during this period. 5+ years later and we still have regular gatherings. Of course the topic of conversation inevitably drift back to when we worked together and specifically during this period.
A bit of silver lining in all this I guess, the friendships that have formed.
This is also the reason why sororities, military,.. do hazing.
Because the hardship makes forming a bond easier.
Its something that evolves naturally. Most people dont know why it works it just happens
I still am actively in contact with the people from "that job" and never made as strong of a bond with others, but I still wouldn't go back.