The thrust of his parent's views, at least when applied to the situation of Mileva Maric rather than Marie Winteler, was that a wife was a luxury, affordable only when a man was making a comfortable living. I have a low opinion of that view of a relationship between a man and wife, he {Einstein} told Maric, Because it makes the wife and the prostitute distinguishable only insofar as the former is able to secure a life-long contract.
Einstein's parents held traditional views regarding marriage, believing that a wife was a luxury that could only be afforded by a financially stable man. This perspective was particularly aimed at Mileva Maric, suggesting that their relationship was contingent on economic status. Einstein disagreed with this notion, seeing it as reductive and detrimental to the genuine connection between partners.
He expressed a low opinion of viewing marriage in such transactional terms, stating that it equated a wife to a prostitute, differing only by the permanence of the commitment involved. Einstein's thoughts highlight his belief in the importance of mutual respect and equality in marital relationships, rather than a mere economic arrangement.
