There are few more embarrassing yet common social faux pas than accidentally breaking something that somebody else owns. Even when the event was pretty much unavoidable, it is hard not to feel careless and dumb as you take responsibility for ruining the property of a friend or acquaintance. 

What makes this event even more stressful, though, is anticipating how the other person is going to react to the breakage. This can be dependent on more obvious factors like its value or meaning to them, but also their personalities and how they otherwise feel about you. In some cases, people are willing to let bygones be bygones, and in others, the issue becomes an argument that can break even the strongest of relationships. The awkwardness is only amped up when you don’t know the person who owns the broken object that well, which can lead to some unpleasant surprises in the aftermath.