Yeah, see, there's the trouble. Oz can read people just fine.

[One could even go so far as to call him manipulative, even as someone ultimately well-intentioned]

He's just so allergic to admitting he cares about the people he cares about or letting a conversation be uncomfortable that being direct even for something as simple as "hey I fucked up, I'm sorry" is like asking him to climb a mountain with just his fingernails.