Guiding Principles

• Decent people make un-neighborly mistakes. Consider no one a Neighbor From Hell until you've tried discussing the matter face-to-face, diplomatically and positively, and found no satisfaction.
• There is no route from pettiness to greatness. A good neighbor doesn't gossip, doesn't fault others for what they have or lack, and doesn't resort to un-neighborly behavior when dealing with a potential Neighbor From Hell.
• Good neighbors need to make wise decisions when choosing a home, to avoid potential conflict. Find an appropriate setting (i.e. family neighborhood, senior community, partying apartment complex for singles) to suit your lifestyle. Those of us who don't appreciate neighbor noise should not live in clustered housing in which we hear more from the neighbors than we wish. The book presents a section full of preventive measures.
• Successful communities are defined by interaction. When people don't associate with others in the neighborhood it creates isolation and a lack of understanding. The author points to his tolerance of loud music (not his favorite thing in any case) coming from a neighbor with whom he was friendly, while not wanting to hear even the ordinary sounds of life coming from a neighbor with whom there was no positive interpersonal foundation.