Dear Abby: My brother has cut all ties, and I don’t even know what I did

DEAR ABBY: I have been struggling with my estrangement from my brother. He’s the only real family member I have.

We were extremely close until three years ago. To my knowledge, I have done nothing wrong. He quit speaking to me after I bought some property he may have been interested in.

We are both in our mid-20s, and he has since gotten married and had two children. Being excluded from his life hurts me deeply. We have to work together daily, and it’s stressful having to encounter him because he goes out of his way to be rude and put me down.

Must I accept that this is how our relationship will be forever?

DEJECTED IN ILLINOIS

DEAR DEJECTED: If there is one life lesson I have learned, it is that interpersonal problems cannot be solved without communication. Because your brother’s chosen method of dealing with disappointment or conflict is to give the person the silent treatment, you will have to accept it and move on from there.

However, because his behavior extends into the workplace, discuss this with your employer. Your brother appears to be doing his best to create a hostile work environment, and that, my friend, is against the law.

DEAR ABBY: I married a wonderful, thoughtful man 30 years ago. His family accepted me and were very kind, with the exception of his mother.

She hardly looked at or talked to me. If she did talk to me, it was about her being too young to be a grandmother. (I had three children from a previous marriage.)