Did you know there's actually a term for this? I read an article a while back about how some book clubs fall apart because one person turns it into a lecture instead of a chat. The writer called it something like "the professor problem," where folks start treating a fun hobby like a test you can fail. In my experience the best clubs are the ones where you can say you hated the ending and nobody hands you a worksheet. Sounds like your guy missed the whole point of reading for fun.

Funny how that works with other stuff too. People hang onto gym memberships they never use, jobs they hate, even phone plans they outgrew, all because walking away feels like losing. Meanwhile the actual letting go is usually the easy part, it is the years of guilt before you finally do it that wears you down. Cutting someone off over money you will never see again is just math at some point. The 68% probably feel bad because they never got a clean reason to point at, but when someone owes you and dodges you, that reason is right there staring at you.