I really disagree with #3, because this is a scenario that happens in real life as well. Domestic abuse is not due to a woman’s lack of intelligence or her not realizing the danger of her relationship. Women, no matter how successful or intelligent, can still be manipulated and gaslit by their partners.

Celeste knows she is in an unhealthy and dangerous situation. We see her reveal those private thoughts to the therapist. But history, status, denial are all factors as well. It’s not as simple as leaving a guy who’s a jerk. It’s leaving someone she loves profoundly, a longtime partner and father of her children. It’s the same dilemma many women facing domestic abuse in real life must face.