To tell whether someone is helping you or setting a trap for you, look at just one signal: are they increasing your options, or narrowing them? A true helper may not make decisions for you, but they will help you see more paths—giving you a way out, sound judgment, and the right to choose. Meanwhile, the one who traps you is best at manufacturing a single “correct” answer: they first negate all your possibilities, then push you into a road that only benefits him, all while packaging it as “I’m doing this for your own good.” So when you’re judging someone, don’t just listen to how much they say they care about you—see whether, after they show up, your path becomes wider or narrower. True kindness makes you freer; true control leaves you with no choice.