Krabs values money more than his own well-being and assesses the other characters based on their financial value to him. The only exceptions are Pearl and his girlfriend Mrs. Puff. His love for Mrs. Puff is so strong that it temporarily transcends his greed and drives him to buy her expensive gifts. Krabs tolerates his two employees because they work for little pay and because of their positive impact on his finances, but he is quick to rebuke them if they engage in behavior that drives away customers. Krabs has a tentative father-son relationship with SpongeBob; Krabs often scolds him if he gets in trouble, but at times gives him fatherlike advice. Former showrunner Paul Tibbitt has stated that this Krabs-SpongeBob dynamic is his favorite part of the show, telling "Digital Spy" in 2011 that "the aspect of SpongeBob I love the most is his undying loyalty to Mr. Krabs. No matter how Mr. Krabs treats him. I try to replicate that in my own life in every way."