Sure, but again that's the point. I can get why someone might not have the patience for it, but you can't really change the front-loaded negativity or pacing without sacrificing the whole message. It's a crucial aspect of the storytelling.
Honestly, people who give up on it kinda validate the themes. You and your dozen friends didn't persevere, like many of the characters. Giving up is one response to bleakness. That's not a value judgement, like I said it isn't for everyone, but it is kinda poignant that by checking-out you demonstrate exactly what it's saying, to some degree.
Not what I said. Dropping out of a game because it's too bleak reinforces the game's theme of people dropping out of reality because it's too bleak.
Like I said, it's not for everyone. But you quit before the threads start to come together. If you don't care about those threads, that's your choice. You said you're interested in exploring the themes the game centers around, and if that's true you really should give it a real shot and give the game the time to tell its story. But the negativity and pacing are an aspect of that storytelling. People are supposed to be assholes, it's supposed to feel a bit like a slog, it's supposed to feel bleak. They aren't telling the story badly, you're just not interested in the story.