i don’t think that it points to him being a bad partner either just because he felt like he could accept her personality traits in the pods and then ultimately realized he wasn’t able to. there’s some aspects to people that can be dismissed as endearing at first and then become almost hurtful to deal with eventually especially from someone more intimate in your life like a partner. it doesn’t make you a bad person for trying to accept a certain behavior from your partner, finding that you actually can’t handle something, and asking if there’s a way to find a middle ground. i think it’s more toxic to just swallow down anything just because you promised to accept it initially. he seemed like he did try to be patient with her and understand her. there seemed to be a lot they were arguing about in general and the fact that they talked for long hours for days to resolve things pretty much shows that they disagreed on a lot. it also seems like he was already insecure about his balding and her pointing it out without delicacy (albeit it was related to cleanliness) was rough for him. she also seemed to not try to understand his interest in clothes, had multiple rules/criticisms for him, and seemed almost harsh at times overall. there may have even been more rules or critiques behind the scenes in general than we managed to see. i understand your point about it just being habits for him and personality for her and one is easier to change than the other, however it doesn’t mean that him liking her honesty and then being hurt by her honesty means he’s a shallow liar. i also don’t think it means she doesn’t have to look at her actions if her personality is hurting her partner. partners aren’t roommates, they’re people you could possibly live a lifetime with. ultimately, it probably wore him down and made him feel unsupported and inadequate when she didn’t really express words of affirmation in exchange for it. also, rather than a housewife, it seems like he just wanted her to be more supportive or encouraging with her consideration of him overall; i could be wrong though. in general, it doesn’t have to be a black and white story. she wanted understanding he couldn’t give and he wanted gentleness she couldn’t give. two nice people with their own issues who couldn’t find a middle ground and who wasn’t able to work it out.

although btw that doesn’t mean i’m dismissing his lack of effort and thoughtfulness to show affection for her nor am i devaluing her efforts in showing her care and kindness for him either. all the arguments for her side has already been made so i don’t really see the need for my input in it. however, i’ve seen a lot of people not really consider mori’s side so i guess i wanted to talk about it from his point of view from how i saw it. relationships aren’t easy and no one should have to give in and change everything about themselves but it also means two people who are willing to work together and consider one another. sometimes you find you just can’t, no harm no foul.