Loyalty is easiest to promise before it becomes inconvenient.

Loyalty declared in good times costs nothing, which is why it is so freely given and so often meant sincerely. The real test comes when standing with you requires losing something: time, reputation, a comfortable relationship with someone else. That is the moment the promise either becomes a fact or evaporates. Nobody knows in advance which theirs will be, including them.

Give weight to loyalty demonstrated under cost rather than loyalty offered in comfort. And be honest about your own, noticing where you have promised more than you have shown. It is a fairer standard applied in both directions.