'Pining away' means, if you don't have enough of them, they don't feel secure and stop eating. They don't usually live very long and succumb to stress related diseases
They're a lovely fish and do well in the right set up, but it does need to be right.
Mine do great (I have nine and will be getting another three; I would say nine is the absolute bare minimum number you should think of keeping) in a shady, well planted 48"x15"x18" with a lot of bogwood alongside large shoals of green neons and marbled hatchets (and a BN).
They mostly like to lurk under their favourite root, but there's normally one or two having a wander around the tank. You could possibly add a peaceful dwarf cichlid, like Bolivian rams or apistogrammas to a set up along those lines, but nothing more aggressive than that.
Alternatively, you could go for a more Asian set up, with harelquins and dwarf, honey or even sparkling gouramis.