Small Vocabulary

I sat down after work yesterday to discuss Ob with Worker Bee and Thing One. I had gotten Ob angry earlier in the day by "questioning his authority" as a manager. (Note: he had questioned my authority first, though he won't admit it -- let alone admit that he was totally wrong.)

Worker Bee mentioned that I might have set Ob off when I told him that "I" was checking on the charges for a work order. Worker Bee has observed that the words "I" and "you" make Ob angry.

On one occasion, a couple of years ago now, I learned that Ob doesn't like the word "no".

How am I supposed to talk to someone who doesn't recognize tiny, basic words?

"I", "you", and "no" -- am I not allowed to say "the" either?