>>85507247each NPC has a reaction to the 4 options: Really Like, like, dislike, and really dislike, as showed by their face reactions when you hover over the options. the orange meter in each cell is how "strong" that particular topic is applied. when you select an option, the NPC reacts, and you gain or lose reputation based on the strength of topic, then the gauges rotate. You need to try to use the positive options when it has a strong meter, and the negative ones when it has a weak meter.
Or just spam retries and bribes.