Ken loves repairing old appliances and is good at it. His house is overflowing with broken TVs, washers, and dryers — inside and out. His wife Janet is crying, embarrassed, lonely. Neighbors are complaining. Ken's response: *"It's my house. I pay the mortgage. I can do what I want in it."* Ken never registered Janet's growing distress. She told him many times. When she finally left for a divorce, Ken was completely surprised. The gap: Ken saw machines to be restored. His focus on detail and logic made him excellent at repairs. But the information that his wife was upset, embarrassed, and lonely wasn't part of his picture. **His theory of mind was poorly developed, and he could not empathize.** Not understanding her feelings, he didn't adjust his behavior. Janet saw no option but to leave. This case illustrates how AS empathy failure destroys relationships not through malice but through genuine inability to register a partner's internal state. **Source:** Lovett, *Solutions for Adults with Asperger Syndrome*, Ch 4 (pp109-112) See also: [[Theory of Mind Mind Blindness]]