There are lots of things that people do in relationships that are abusive, except that we don’t call it abuse. We use euphemisms like “the silent treatment” or “ghosting” because we don’t want to call it what it actually is — selfish, self-serving abuse. Almost every negative human behavior is born out of fear, including actual physical abuse and domestic violence. Fear isn’t a justification for violence and it’s not a justification for ghosting people, either. It may be a reason. But it’s definitely not an excuse.