You said it yourself Jen, he is manipulating you because he knows what buttons to push. Because we know our partners vulnerabilities, does that mean we should exploit them though? No..... so why is he allowed to get away with it? You allow this Jen. Carers are often too easy on their sufferer, simply allowing them to get away with things to avoid the conflict. At the end of the day though, all that occurs is that all concerned are typically unhappy and become set in a mundane relationship and environment.