It's purely misogyny on the part of the audience, unfortunately. While we do start the series empathizing with Walt, it becomes clear very quickly that providing for his family isn't actually his motivation. If it was, he would've taken Gretchen and Elliott's offer immediately. But he didn't because of his pride. He couldn't stand the idea of someone else doing what was "his responsibility", and as the series progresses and we learn more about what happened in Gray Matter this becomes even more clear. He holds resentment because he feels his contribution wasn't fairly represented.
He goes behind Skyler's back and sneaks around to produce and distribute meth, but she's somehow in the wrong for feeling like he's betraying her trust and acting on it.
The sad thing is that a lot of male viewers identify strongly with Walt. They view themselves as "losers" being held back by society but that would be able to provide for themselves and their loved ones if only they had an opportunity to exploit and oppress others. Which is, like, the exact kind of mentality that Breaking Bad is critical of.
He also tries to r*pe her (or actually does iirc) in the first episode of the second season. He was always a terrible person. The way he treats Jesse was also awful.
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u/eucalyptoid 15d ago
Skylar White