DEAR ABBY: My best friend, "Brooke," started dating a man, "Angus," last year. From the start, he made a poor impression. He met Brooke while he was dating another woman but didn't tell Brooke about her. Brooke continued hanging out with him only after he broke up with his girlfriend.

The past few months have been nothing short of awful. I see Brooke weekly for coffee, and all she does is tell me how mean Angus is to her and her family. He calls her names, emotionally manipulates her, tells her what she can and cannot wear and looks through every inch of her phone.

Her family loathes him. Her dad told me he never wants to see him again. They are constantly urging Brooke to end the relationship. None of her friends likes him, and she doesn't seem to either, but will not, for whatever reason, break up with him.

Last week, they decided to get a puppy together. It's getting exhausting for all parties, including Brooke. What should I do? Should I just leave it alone and let her figure it out and be there when it ends? -- WISE FRIEND IN NEBRASKA

DEAR WISE FRIEND: You are a supportive friend, but you cannot live Brooke's life for her. Buying a puppy with someone who is abusive does not bode well for her or for the animal, which may become the focus of the abuser's anger if he feels he cannot control Brooke. Because she won't listen to family or friends, Brooke IS going to have to figure things out for herself. Save your advice for people who will listen.

DEAR ABBY: My longtime friend has distanced herself over the last two years. Unless I call her or invite her to join us at our vacation home, I hear nothing from her, and we are never invited to visit them. We grew up together, were in each other's weddings, raised our children together and went on many fun trips over the years.

When our husbands were hunting together a few weeks ago, her husband told mine that it would be better if we didn't mention our grandchildren to them. All of their children have been married and divorced and have no plans to have children. I know she always wanted to be a grandmother, and I am sorry that didn't happen. Sometimes my grandchildren call while our friends are visiting, and, of course, we have lots of pictures of them around, but we don't talk about them all the time.

I don't know how to handle this. I'm hurt that she would cut me off after all these years just because I have grandchildren. -- GAG ORDER IN GEORGIA

DEAR GAG ORDER: She is not cutting you off because you have grandchildren; she is limiting her time with you because she doesn't, and the phone calls and pictures are depressing for her. A way to handle this would be to see her away from your home so she isn't constantly reminded.

DEAR ABBY: It seems that everywhere I go, people expect tips. Yesterday, I pulled up to the drive-through at a cookie store, and before I paid or was handed my cookies, the clerk asked, "Would you like to leave a tip?" My niece recently told me that after she left a tip at a restaurant, the server followed her outside and asked if she hadn't been a very good server because the tip was small. I can give you more examples just from my family regarding their experience with tipping.

In this economy, I don't feel the 20% rule should apply. For the price of a lunch for two at a sit-down restaurant these days, the tip costs as much as a small entree. When I go through a drive-through, I don't feel I need to tip because I'm not inside using their facility. But if I don't, I get a disappointed look from the gal who gets paid to make and hand me my drink. What are your thoughts? -- TIPPED OUT IN IDAHO

DEAR TIPPED OUT: The server you mentioned may need tips to survive on her sub-minimum or minimum wage income. However, a tip should never be requested, and for a server to follow your niece out of a restaurant to discuss a small tip is beyond the pale. Although some establishments "suggest" tips that can go as high as 35%, most customers give 15% or 20% of the total bill.

Since you asked for my opinion, here it is: Quit complaining. If you think you received adequate service, leave a tip, and you will be warmly welcomed at whatever eatery you choose to patronize.

DEAR ABBY: Once a month, my wife and I play music trivia with my brother and his wife at our local pub. We invited them, thinking it would be a great way for us to get closer. (I have an older brother we are closer to.) As it turns out, my sister-in-law belittles my brother in front of us if he questions an answer someone might give (which we all do at one point or another).

At first, we laughed and considered it to be playful banter, but now it has become really uncomfortable. My brother doesn't say anything back because he doesn't want to create a scene, so the night always ends on a sour note for me and my wife.

Abby, we're to the point of telling my brother we no longer want them as partners on our team, but I'm not sure how to go about it. What can we say without creating a major blowup? Help, please. -- SOUR NOTE IN MICHIGAN

DEAR SOUR NOTE: Tell your brother and sister-in-law privately, together, that if she has any criticisms to make about your brother, you would prefer that it not be in public or in front of you because it makes you uncomfortable. It is the truth. It may cause them to stop playing music trivia with you, which will solve your problem. However, if they show up and she does it again, end your participation, with no additional explanation needed.

DEAR ABBY: A few years back, my brother gave me a substantial amount of cryptocurrency. A couple of years after that, he did something that hurt me and my husband deeply and destroyed any trust I had in him. As a result, I have greatly reduced contact with him as well as my entire family.

When I explained how what he did made me feel and how it affected my life, my brother "sort of" apologized, but it wasn't genuine -- and during this fake apology, he mentioned he wanted his crypto back.

Because I had had some financial difficulties, I couldn't give back the money. The cryptocurrency had been a gift. When he gave it to me, there was no agreement about paying him back or what to do with it. (He confessed that he had made a huge mistake by giving it to me.) When I told him I couldn't give it back, he sort of let it go. But now we are barely on speaking terms, and I feel awkward because I can feel his resentment.

I no longer trust him, and I'm not sure how to proceed. I'm not angry; I'm just cautious because of his previous careless actions and because he lacks a verbal filter, especially toward my husband, who is sensitive. How do I deal with the fallout? -- ONCE BITTEN, TWICE SHY

DEAR O.B.T.S.: I wish you had gone into more detail in the second sentence of your letter. If I have read it correctly, your problems with your brother have less to do with the cryptocurrency debacle and far more about how he treats your husband. As I see it, you have every right to proceed with caution where your brother is concerned. If he can't watch his mouth around your husband, some distance may be better for all of you.

DEAR ABBY: I'm retired and have discovered a love for making bags, totes and purses with my sewing machine. A few years ago, I started doing local craft shows -- not because I've turned this into a business, but because it helps clear out the growing inventory. Financially, we're fine. I'm not risking money we don't have.

My husband, who still works, strongly disapproves of this. He says I've made a job out of a hobby, and he thinks it's silly since I don't really make money. He has even suggested I'd be better off throwing my creations away. In truth, after a lifetime of working and raising kids, I finally have time to do something that makes me happy.

I feel torn. Must I stop doing something I love to keep peace at home, or continue and risk his ongoing resentment? It's heartbreaking to feel that every time I try something new, I'm met with resistance. -- STILL STITCHING IN THE SOUTH

DEAR STILL STITCHING: Your husband appears to be more than a little controlling by attempting to tell you how to spend your free time. Your hobby is what it is. It's a source of pleasure -- and it's not meant to be another income stream. Continue doing what you enjoy and please do not buckle under the pressure.