When Don moves him and Rosie into George’s beer apartment, the place unsurprisingly smells of beer. This smell serves as a running joke about human adaptability, as the couple grows accustomed to it. This lingering also serves as a metaphor and warning about the forces seeking to separate the couple, such as Rosie’s studies and Don’s research on fatherhood—the latter’s methodical nature being what interested George in the first place. Don rightfully prevents Rosie from drinking alcohol while pregnant, while his own alcohol consumption reflects his fear of being a bad father. However, beer also brings people together: It is served at Rosie’s study party—at which Don feels accepted—and then at the end of the novel—when Rosie and Don’s friends gather to support their reconciliation. Overall, George’s English-style pub in a New York City apartment signifies the eclectic but no less empathetic nature of Don’s friend group.

Spreadsheets serve as a running joke about Don’s methodical nature. His initial panic at becoming a father is due to his lack of preparation, such as lists of pros and cons. He feels he has a better gasp of complex situations if he can clarify them in objective terms. In a moment of comedy, when Rosie makes a spreadsheet to communicate her feelings and departure, Don “corrects” her math and is convinced that she should stay with him. In this way, the trait that separates them leads to a grand gesture fitting of the romance genre.