The socks began pairing up.
Soon, socks began associating based on similarlities. For example, the sport socks began spending more time together. No one seemed to want to associate with the socks with holes in the toes.
The darker socks began to feel discriminated against by the light colored socks. A pair of socks composed of different colors was considered a mismatch.
Much depended on where you were made.
There was a leadership void among the socks. Everyone was a potential puppet.
The entire surface of the earth became covered in socks.