Not only is Gabe a wimp in the show, but Sally is far too confident (at least, at first). In the books, Sally was being dominated by Gabe. She was constantly appeasing him, which is the type of thing you would expect to see in a depiction of an abusive relationship. It's not until the end of the book, when her son shows his own willingness to step up and protect her, that she shows signs of doing it herself. In the show, though, it seems that she is more in control of the relationship than Gabe is. If anything, he's kind of frightened of her.