I think it’s a failure to communicate on both their parts, they never actually talked about it to each others face.
Kind of a symptom of culture - when neighbors don’t even talk - it just sets up problems.
Personally - I want to know my neighbors. We don’t have to be buddies/friends/etc (though that can be kind of cool), - but at least know who lives around so you can look out for the neighborhood - and avoid not only crime and such - but hurt feelings over stuff like this.