Acharya Prashant analyzes the complex relationship between Dominique Francon and Gail Wynand, explaining that Dominique initially marries Wynand as a form of self-punishment. Because she recognizes greatness in Howard Roark but feels incapable of enduring the suffering that comes with his uncompromising life, she chooses to marry men she holds in contempt, like Peter Keating and later Gail Wynand. She views these marriages as a way to embrace the worst of the world as a penalty for her own perceived inadequacy. However, her relationship with Wynand transforms when she discovers 'Roark-ness' or greatness within him, causing her contempt to melt into love as he becomes her defense against the world's smallness rather than her punisher.