The speaker uses a very vivid simile to describe what it was like for him to be without a telephone: apparently, he was like a bear in a cave drowsing through a shadowy winter. Bears hibernate in winter, of course, and, if the speaker's to be believed, he was in a state of social hibernation before he owned a telephone.

Without this modern marvel of communication, he always felt somewhat isolated, separated from his friends by a tangle of subways and buses. Loneliness is a serious problem for many, especially in big cities, and one senses that the speaker felt rather lonely without the means of instant communication afforded by the telephone. The telephone has provided a vital lifeline to the speaker, giving him and many others like him the opportunity to reach out and connect with humanity on a regular basis.

It's clear that the speaker greatly appreciates the new lease of life that the telephone has given him. Whenever he hears it ring, it's as if spring has sprung. He's so enamored of this remarkable invention that he positively hungers for the sound of a human voice on the other end of the line and for the good news of friends.