Bereavement counseling, for example, is very useful for some people and a waste of time for others. David has no patience for bereavement counseling, despite the fact that some people find it very helpful in times of crisis. In general, good people make an effort to understand the personal preferences and choices of others before criticizing or ridiculing them; they do not look for virtually every possible opportunity to criticize others for meaningless differences between them. In general, good people make an effort to be positive influences in the lives of their friends and loved ones. Married people, in particular, are uniquely responsible for each other's emotional happiness and well-being. The overall tone of the entire relationship between Katie and David is miserable, even when they are not necessarily arguing. Neither comes across as remotely lovable and the reader is left with no clue as to what either sees in the other. Good people realize that whether they intend to or not, they cannot help but make their romantic partners happy and content or unhappy and sad.

That does not necessarily mean one should pretend to be happy when one is sad or that marital partners should feel completely responsible for creating each other's happiness, but simply that good people tend to share a positive energy with those close to them generally. Miserable people, by contrast, tend to inject a negative tone into their interactions...

In that respect, the fact that David barely reacts to Katie's announcement that she wants a divorce suggests that he hardly cares because their life together is not even worth salvaging. By contrast, when good people discuss even the possibility of ending a relationship or a marriage, it is a memorable and emotionally intense conversation for both. The charitable impulse is also something that is characteristic of good people, except in their case, specific acts of charity are merely another manifestation of a general humanistic benevolence. In David's case, his ordinary outlook is critical and judgmental rather than benevolent. So when he does actually perform a singular act of charity by stuffing some money into the hands of a homeless person, even that is done in a callous manner. In this reader's opinion, it is no coincidence either that when he does this he purposely chooses to annoy Katie at the same time by letting her think that he gave away their carfare as well. In the most general sense, good people influence others in their lives positively most of the time and negatively comparatively rarely. In David's case, he seems miserable most of the time and he characteristically shares that misery with Katie, and even when he finally does something benevolent, still manages to find some way to ruin it with his perpetual lack of sensitivity, kindness and overall human goodness.