Maxperson
Morkus from Orkus
How many friends do you think a T-rex had? You are limited to the nature, not form, of the beast you are turned into. The only written exceptions are that you retain alignment and personality. If you retained who you were beyond that, they would have said so.It does not mention amnesia about who your friends are either which means to me the DM isnt interpreting as much as sabotaging an ability.
DMs reading too much into spells is the biggest reason spellcasters seem so much more powerful than martials.