Dear LFTP: the retired widow and her negative renter

• How do I handle my renter's constant negativity without throwing him out?

A retired widow took in a renter in his sixties who lost his job and can no longer pay full rent; he is clean and respectful but constantly angry and negative, filling her home with heaviness. The hosts absolve her guilt — she did not cause his situation — and advise setting clear boundaries: tell him the negativity has to change and tie continued housing to rent progress within a few months, because it is unfair to expect people to honor boundaries they were never told. They add that helping people does not mean owning their problems. The Secular answer suggests depression counseling through the county mental-health department and, pointedly, talking to an attorney — prompting a riff about nobody knowing an attorney, and one host recalling a man named Andrews who ran for office in Johnston.