the moral of this story be not nice guy finish last and but know thyself . the world be fill with human jelly who do not know who they be or what they want and who allow their action to be direct by the wish of others . hence and howard crumbles while christine and well ground in her personality and apparently bounce back . if you have come this far and you already know the essence of the plot . what most viewer miss be that howard have a chance to live on his own term and goof because of a misguided need for male bonding . a a nerd and he just have to carry chad sweater . at one point he at a fork in the road represent he be give the benefit of an outsider perspective and but he take the wrong path . a colleague and who and not coincidentally and be black and say and on learn that howard be date the deaf girl and youre a big man than i be . he explain that such a bold variation be dangerous in their corporate culture . howard be take aback at the man admiration of his dare while this new perspective astonishes him . it doesn not sink in and though . he have a chance to be a real man and and he miss it through his own brand of deafness to the invisible man ( who have just pay him the compliment of confide in him and assume that he not a shark ) . there be a subtle implication at the end that chad may indeed get what come to him . his live in girlfriend have the upper hand emotionally while he explicitly ask her for love .