Why is conversation so difficult?

Conversation would be difficult because it's been forbidden for so long. The handmaids haven't had that kind of relationship with a man in a very long time. Men can't be trusted; women are to be used for only specific purposes; intimacy would be an absolute no-no in the land of Gilead. Even those who are married seem to lack the intimacy of simply being able to converse, to ask questions, and to be considered worth answering.