The word limit got to me so I didn't include the question: Is it possible to have respectful and kind interactions when one party is behaving like this and the other is trying to step out of this behaviour?
I know the answer is some version of "you can't control what others do or feel, try to control only that which is yours to control, your own actions"
But is it possible to be kind when breaking this unspoken contract without acknowledging its existence?
Because acknowledging its existence seems to be the greatest taboo of them all.