Neighbors. Oi.
I've been lucky in my neighbors, for the most part. Typically, since I moved out of home back at the tender age of 18, I've had tolerable neighbors. They might not always have liked me and my roommates, due to a tendency on our part to being college kids who partied.
But now that I'm a 'full-fledged adult', or something ridiculous like that, I've actively tried to cultivate good relationships with my neighbors. In this complex alone, I've tried to be in contact with my next door neighbors at least.
The two downstairs apartments have had some interesting people, for certain. One longtime neighbor seems to have a case of paranoid schizophrenia. He's told me some outrageous stories about how someone got into his apartment and beat him up (but I saw no bruises anywhere). He's gotten several people kicked out because they've stolen from him, or threatened him with violence, etc. He's called the police on several people in his apartment unit for various reasons.
Now, every time I go outside to smoke, he peeks out the window to make sure I'm not some goblin, then comes out to tell me about his latest quest. Apparently, the neighbor across the street is crazy, yells at him, calls him a motherfucker, and has guns in his car. He spends most nights in fear, staring out the window at what I can only imagine is an illusory threat. This paranoid little man is convinced that the man across the street wants to kill him. Mind you, I've met this 'crazy man', and he's a very gentle, kindly old man. I doubt he could use the word 'motherfucker' even if he wanted to, and I don't get any sort of violent vibes from the man.
But, I'm curious as to how this little neighbor operates. Most people who have interacted with him have a distaste for him due to his general craziness. I wonder if he bugs people to the point where they DO threaten him with violence. He certainly annoys me by coming out to tell me all about the latest illusory threat, and I do get annoyed at how he'll talk and talk and talk, then lower his voice like he's sharing some great secret with me. Usually, I feel less safe standing with him, because someone might confuse me for an accomplice and take me out too. Nevertheless, how does one go about telling someone that you think they suffer from Paranoid-Schizophrenia?
But now that I'm a 'full-fledged adult', or something ridiculous like that, I've actively tried to cultivate good relationships with my neighbors. In this complex alone, I've tried to be in contact with my next door neighbors at least.
The two downstairs apartments have had some interesting people, for certain. One longtime neighbor seems to have a case of paranoid schizophrenia. He's told me some outrageous stories about how someone got into his apartment and beat him up (but I saw no bruises anywhere). He's gotten several people kicked out because they've stolen from him, or threatened him with violence, etc. He's called the police on several people in his apartment unit for various reasons.
Now, every time I go outside to smoke, he peeks out the window to make sure I'm not some goblin, then comes out to tell me about his latest quest. Apparently, the neighbor across the street is crazy, yells at him, calls him a motherfucker, and has guns in his car. He spends most nights in fear, staring out the window at what I can only imagine is an illusory threat. This paranoid little man is convinced that the man across the street wants to kill him. Mind you, I've met this 'crazy man', and he's a very gentle, kindly old man. I doubt he could use the word 'motherfucker' even if he wanted to, and I don't get any sort of violent vibes from the man.
But, I'm curious as to how this little neighbor operates. Most people who have interacted with him have a distaste for him due to his general craziness. I wonder if he bugs people to the point where they DO threaten him with violence. He certainly annoys me by coming out to tell me all about the latest illusory threat, and I do get annoyed at how he'll talk and talk and talk, then lower his voice like he's sharing some great secret with me. Usually, I feel less safe standing with him, because someone might confuse me for an accomplice and take me out too. Nevertheless, how does one go about telling someone that you think they suffer from Paranoid-Schizophrenia?