Not for me to be of any help, but I'd like to ask in this context: which word is more abstract, object or thing

object
1. Something perceptible by one or more of the senses, especially by vision or touch; a material thing. 2. A focus of attention, feeling, thought, or action: an object of contempt. 3. The purpose, aim, or goal of a specific action or effort: the object of the game.

thing
1. An entity, an idea, or a quality perceived, known, or thought to have its own existence. 2a. The real or concrete substance of an entity. b. An entity existing in space and time. c. An inanimate object. 3. Something referred to by a word, a symbol, a sign, or an idea; a referent.

(both from American Heritage)

To me the second definition seems to be more focussed on the abstract.