It locks up particular pieces of their personalities in the deep recesses of their psyches where they no longer have access to those missing pieces (by a very primitive defense mechanism that's trying to prevent any further pain or damage that might likely be caused by further expression of those pieces).

In certain types of families and cultures, young girls tend to have their assertiveness/toughness driven out of them (along with a whole collection of other attributes). In those same families and cultures, young boys tend to have their tenderness/emotional sensitivity tortured or ridiculed out (as often by friends as by family).

An emotional/physiological symptom occurs as the result of having pieces of your personality ripped out - it's commonly called "heartache."

In relating emotionally and intimately to someone who freely expresses the attributes which a person is missing (those pieces having been locked away within their own psyche), that person finds a sense of wholeness and their heartache is relieved (as long as they are in the presence of that other person).

Most romantic "I can't live without you," love songs and stories are based on what happens when such relationships break apart, the couple separates and their heartache reappears (their hearts are "broken").

Clearly, Louise is missing things that Brian expressed far more readily than Gary. That's why despite a long marriage with Gary, she was never "in love" with him. Gary's personality didn't provide the personality attributes that would have relieved her heartache. Her subsequent addictive use of sex and drugs is a common way of seeking to medicate heartache.

Louise stayed "in love" with Brian over all that time because his personality was a far better fit for her missing pieces and gave her far better relief of her heartache, but in cases such as these, happily-ever-after is unlikely.

First, Louise is also missing the piece of her personality that would allow her to imagine what it's like to be anyone but herself (the classic narcissist). Thus, she may have felt "guilty" over what she did to Gary (as a response to her violation of societal norms from her upbringing), but since she couldn't vicariously experience his pain, it didn't really matter to her.

Second, her relationship with Brian will only continue to satisfy her as long as Brian never changes in any discernable way. If Brian does change, Louise will come to realize she no longer loves him and either turn back to sex and drugs to medicate her heartache (no matter how much pain she causes him and her son in the process) or she'll find someone with whom she can, once again, fall "in love" and dump him for the new man (or woman).

I have known woman such as Louise who's ex-husbands and ex-boyfriends could have formed a sizable club, met monthly, and never run out of stories to share, nor new members to join them in sharing their stories. Of course what would have made Mr. Bowe's piece truly interesting would have been to hear the story from Gary and Brian's first-person perspectives, too.

By the way, healing is available for people whose missing pieces are making it difficult for them to live functional lives, to stop making themselves and those around themselves miserable, or to give up addictions. With such help, Louise would be able to come to appreciate Brian for who he is as a person in his own right (even if he changes), instead of just appreciating him because he's the person who best fulfills her largely-unconscious needs (in essence treating him as if he were a blow-up doll). All of this, of course, applies equally to men and to gay as well as straight people.

That Rumbaugh, Hankey, and Gangrene will continue to ensure that, now that the "Conservatives" have dug all of us into a hole so deep that even the general public noticed we were below ground by every useful measure and still sinking, the only solution ANY Republican member of congress will be allowed to pursue is to keep digging.

Keep it up, guys! You're ensuring that the Republican party becomes completely irrelevant for at least the next fifty years. Shout louder! Hold their feet to the fire! Make sure they don't do anything that would help the average voter! Make sure the average voter sees clearly how the Republican party is stubbornly standing in the way of accomplishing what needs to be done. If you try hard enough, you can make yourselves irrelevant too!

To quote the man himself, "...you will know them by their fruits. Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?' Then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers.' [Matthew 7:20-23]

Dictated by Rubaugh, Hankey, and Gangrene... when in a hole, dig, baby, dig (or was that drill baby drill?)! Maybe they're hoping for a warm welcome when they get to China.