Here's why:
* Ambiguity: The sentence could be interpreted in two ways:
* Fred loves to tease Ethel, Lucy, and Desi.
* Fred loves to tease Ethel, and Lucy Desi (as a couple).
* Better clarity: It's clearer to separate the names with a conjunction:
* Fred loves to tease Ethel, Lucy, and Desi.
* Fred loves to tease Ethel, and Lucy and Desi. (if it's specifically a couple).
* Consider context: If this is referring to a specific situation, you might want to provide more context. For example:
* Fred loves to tease Ethel, Lucy, and Desi when they're together.
* Fred loves to tease Ethel, but Lucy and Desi always defend her.
Choose the version that best fits the meaning you want to convey!