Stopped helping our neighbors with free home repairs and our friendship cooled. Who's to blame?

A homeowner writes about a friendship that cooled after repeatedly helping neighbors with free repairs and home-related favors. The couple describes living next door for 23 years, and say they socialized, exchanged practical help, watched each other’s pets, and handled small assistance like ladders, a snow shovel, and saving mail. They helped after a storm when a tree fell, including immediate chainsaw work, and received a bottle of wine afterward. But over time the neighbors’ finances seemed to diverge from their claimed need. The writers say they were asked to do fixes themselves, keep an eye on the house while they traveled, recommend contractors, and eventually they refused more requests. The relationship cooled, and the author struggles to assign blame—whether the neighbors exploited their generosity or whether they simply outgrew the arrangement.