The universe is silent not because it is empty, but because it is observant.
The Great Silence is a logical outcome of two filters: our inherent violence and the statistical rarity of intelligence. Humanity is likely being "shunned" by advanced civilizations due to our violent nature, and our intelligence is a fluke rather than an evolutionary goal.
The Violence Filter
We are a violent species, a statistical fluke of intelligence that has mistaken its aggression for ambition. Advanced aliens wouldn't visit us for the same reason you don't enter a neighbor's house when you hear screams from the street.
The Myth of Inevitable Intelligence
Evolutionary stupidity (bacteria, sharks) is the actual standard for survival. Human-level intelligence might be an evolutionary "risk" that leads to extinction more often than survival.