Growing up in the same house doesn’t always guarantee growing up the same way.

So when one successful condo owner was pressured by his parents to house a struggling younger sibling with a history of bad decisions and even worse roommate habits, he made it clear that sympathy didn’t come with a spare key.

Keep reading for the full story.

AITA for refusing to allow my brother to live with me?

My brother (25m) hasn’t made a lot of great decisions or had much luck in life so far.

He chose a BS bachelor’s degree, got laid off from his first job, and spent two years in retail while piling on credit card debt.

His parents quickly bailed him out, only for his sibling to mess up yet again.

Our parents paid that off and sent him to another country to do another bachelor’s degree.

He has failed out of that program and has been living on my mother’s couch (she has a one-bedroom apartment).

My dad lives abroad now.

His life has shaped up much differently, so when his parents suggested he take his brother in, he was immediately opposed.

I (27m) own a two-bedroom condo in a nice area. I’ve earned that.

My parents think that I should let my brother stay in one bedroom while he gets his crap together.

He had several good reasons for declining.

My response thus far, on the basis that my brother has

a) made his own decisions in life that he has to deal with himself,

b) is a deeply disrespectful and ungrateful person to anyone who helps him, and

c) is an unpleasant person to live with, like 0 concept of personal hygiene.

AITA for not letting him stay with me?

All of these reasons sound pretty compelling.

What did Reddit think?

This user thinks the judgement speaks for itself.

A firm “no” needs to be this man’s only explanation.

Maybe the parents are a bit to blame for enabling his brother.

Everyone has to grow up eventually.

Until his brother can prove he’s trustworthy, his door should stay shut.

At a certain point, support starts to look a lot like enabling.

If you liked that story, check out this post about a group of employees who got together and why working from home was a good financial decision.