A couple grapples with whether to charge houseguests for their stay, questioning the limits of hospitality. Meanwhile, another reader wonders if leftover food from neighboring tables in a restaurant is fair game. Advice columnist Eric Thomas addresses these daily dilemmas with clear-eyed practicality.

Baltimore Sun advice columnist Eric Thomas confronts two piercing reader questions: whether it is worth the emotional cost to remain in a neighborhood shared with an attacker, and how to respond when a close friend disappears without explanation. His “Asking Eric” column lays bare the tangled calculus of safety, trauma and loyalty.