DEAR ABBY: A couple of months ago, I moved from my mother's into an apartment with a friend I had rekindled a high school friendship with a few years back. The first month in, I noticed she had eaten a few of my freezer meals, so I confronted her about it. She started crying and told me she was waiting for a new debit card in the mail and had limited cash to get her through until the card arrived. I told her she should have said something, and I would have happily let her have some of my food, but for her not to ask was rude because I rely on those freezer meals for quick and easy lunches at work.

I finished the box of meals and bought a new one. It was a large box with six packages inside. I intentionally left it unopened to see if she would steal food from me again. Lo and behold, a month later, I went to open the box and saw she'd taken two of them.

How do I confront her a second time? She doesn't have a car so she Ubers to work, which adds up, and she spends hundreds of dollars on her anime hobby. If I can't trust her with small things like food and snacks, how am I supposed to trust her at all? We just signed a two-year lease, and I cannot sublet. -- HUNGRY FOR HONESTY

DEAR HUNGRY: I am sorry to say this, but your roommate has proven she can't be trusted. Are her problems financial or emotional? Cross your fingers and hope she can come up with the rent each month. If you can afford it, purchase a small refrigerator for your bedroom, install a strong padlock on the door and use it to secure ALL of your property until the lease expires. If your roommate asks why the lock and fridge are being installed, confront her again then.

DEAR ABBY: I am writing about the letter you published on April 3 from "Incredulous in Oklahoma." She said her boyfriend falls into a deep sleep lasting three days every two or three weeks, during which time he turns abusive. Abby, his symptoms might be caused by a rare neurological disorder called Kleine-Levin Syndrome. Your readers can learn more about it by visiting the ninds.nih.gov website and selecting the Health Information tab to search for this disorder. -- MARIAM IN FLORIDA

DEAR MARIAM: Thank you for the input. Several other readers also mentioned this disorder might be a possible explanation for the boyfriend's behavior. When I read her letter, I wasn't sure whether he might be "on" something, having an allergic reaction to a medication or unwell. This is why I suggested he might need to be examined physically and neurologically by a medical professional.

DEAR ABBY: My husband did not have a close relationship with his parents. Now that they are both dead, he emulates them -- wearing suspenders like his dad, drinking beer in the garage, having a TV in every room. His screen savers are of "Dad." What's the deal? -- PERPLEXED WIFE IN UTAH

DEAR WIFE: I think you should gently ask your husband that question. He may not realize that he is modeling his father's behavior. It may be a safe way to maintain a connection to dear old Dad, or proof that a behavioral influence can travel from generation to generation, but don't make a problem where there isn't one.

DEAR ABBY: I come from a nice family. My siblings are thoughtful and kind, but one of my brothers is a conversational narcissist. He drones on for hours (if we let him) without asking a single question to engage another person.

He sees nothing wrong with talking endlessly about his work and his acquisitions, which interest no one. He will compare, indirectly, my home with his, assuming that his is far superior and better decorated -- never considering that my home is just right for me and that I do not lust for more. All of us listen to him and do our best to show an interest without ever receiving that courtesy in return.

How can we nudge him toward showing an interest in others? In his times of need, I have been there for him and listened to his troubles, and I have gotten the impression that he's kinder than any of us have assumed, given his self-centered ramblings. Is there any way to influence him toward being a more thoughtful conversationalist? -- SORE-EARED SIBLING

DEAR SIBLING: Yes, there is. "Someone" is going to have to tell this brother -- in as gentle language as possible -- that hogging the conversation is as unwelcome as hogging all the food at the buffet. He should also be told that comparing what he has to that of his siblings, who may have less, comes across as bragging, which makes them uncomfortable.

If no one has the courage to address this, a group intervention may be needed to stanch the motormouth. However, if this is more than any of you want to risk, see this sibling separately one-on-one. If he's not playing to a crowd, he may behave differently.

DEAR ABBY: My ex-husband and I divorced three years ago after he had an affair and destroyed our lives (including his daughter's, who considered me her only real mom). The divorce took about a year. Since then, he has stopped communicating with me and pretends I never existed. My stepdaughter, "Dana," however, never let go.

I held on as well for a couple of years, but as time goes on, I am feeling I'm in an increasingly impossible situation. What my ex did and his actions that followed were incredibly cruel. They devastated me. Staying in touch with Dana has slowly become a painful reminder of that and has made it difficult for me to close this unhappy chapter of my life. I don't want to hurt Dana. I hope that one day she'll understand, but I feel the need to cease contact in order to heal fully. Is this too cruel? -- TRAUMATIZED IN FLORIDA

DEAR TRAUMATIZED: What a sad situation. I'm sorry you feel there is no other way to heal from your ex-husband's betrayal than to distance yourself from Dana, who loves you. However, feeling as you do, you must take care of yourself. Please do not "ghost" her. It is important that you explain to her, as kindly as possible, your reasons for ending your relationship, so she understands this is not her fault.

DEAR ABBY: My husband and I are retired. A short while ago, a young couple moved in across the street. A few months later, my husband, who does yardwork for neighbors for extra money, started working in theirs. He never charged them for it, and even after they had the equipment to care for their yard, continued working there some of the time.

When "Cindy," the wife, would be in the front yard, he frequently stopped his work to talk to her or stare at her. (He never stopped his work for anyone else.) Several times a week, I'd notice he was over at Cindy's mowing the yards on each side of her house and would make excuses to check to see if anything else needed to be done. He confessed to me about looking through the fence one time, and I'm sure he has done it more.

One day, I caught him standing, fixated, watching her work in the front yard, completely oblivious to his surroundings. He has told me how pretty he thinks she is, and she IS attractive. She rarely starts a conversation or comes into our yard, but he goes into hers to talk at every opportunity. If I question him about it, he either lies to me, laughs at me or yells at me. What should I do? -- HUMILIATED IN TEXAS

DEAR HUMILIATED: Your husband obviously has a crush on this young, pretty neighbor. Fortunately, from what you have written, it doesn't appear to be reciprocated. If I were you, I'd develop a sense of humor about the situation. Tell him that if he's planning to run away with her, you want advance notice so you can call your lawyer. Then bide your time because these kinds of crushes usually wane.

DEAR ABBY: A good friend of mine borrowed $5,000 because she said she was going to nursing school. I happily loaned it to her, but discovered later that she unenrolled several days after classes started. I asked her for the money back, but felt sorry for her because she was not working due to the pandemic.

Fast-forward a year: I have extensive dental work scheduled, so I finally asked her to repay me. I told her I would take payments, but I need a regular time of month, every month. She agreed to pay me back but made no mention of a timeline.

I am not sure how to approach her again. I'm not rich, and she knows it. We even shook hands on the agreement with her telling me she'd pay me back at a date that has now passed. Advice? -- TOO GENEROUS IN OREGON

DEAR TOO GENEROUS: You are learning a very expensive lesson. With "friends" like this woman, you do not need enemies. Do not count on getting any money from her. Find another way to pay for that dental work because, without a repayment agreement IN WRITING, there's no way you can force your "good friend" to do the right thing. Something to keep in mind for the future: Do not give anyone any more money than you can afford to lose.