>>11535It was meant to be point of comparison. The theme of the show is that it isn't healthy for only one person in a relationship to be making all the sacrifices. When Marshall tries to sacrifice his own career for his, Gary stops him. Compare this to Simon, who let Betty sacrifice things for him over and over and didn't realize it until it was too late. Gary and Marshall are meant to be an example of what a balanced relationship looks like, compared to Simon and Betty's unhealthy, lopsided relationship. It's part of the theme, cope.