# Breaking Bad: Walter White vs. Gus Fring **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 10, 2013, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-walter-white-vs-gus-fring/668485 "2013-09-10T07:01:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2013, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-walter-white-vs-gus-fring/668485/21 "2013-09-11T23:33:20Z")
> [@Frazzled](#): > > The first time Walt met Gus he didn’t know that Gus was the man who was scoping him out. Gus originally rejected him as a partner because he only wanted to work with professionals. It was with reluctance that Gus finally agreed. > > Gus built an empire with trusted associates and he paid them all very, very well. He approved an insurance plan so if any of them were arrested or killed then their families would still be taken care of. His way of treating his partners established trust and loyalty so people had relative security for a long period of time. > > Walt on the other hand is selfish. He’s not looking to make his associates money, he’s looking to make himself money. He doesn’t want to pay high prices for long term relationships with professional people, he instead pays contract prices for short term solutions with unstable people (such as the nazi prison gang). He kills his most valuable assets like Mike and he dangles money in front of his closest “friends” like Jessie so he can control them. > > In the end, Gus had built a group of peers that protected him while Walt has alienated every one of his peers leaving only himself as an emperor with no kingdom. Walt’s not selfish. He’s not looking to make himself money, he’s looking to see his family taken care of after he’s gone. And he’s done a lot for Jesse over the course of the show that even though yes he does manipulate him a lot, shows him as not being completely selfish. ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2013, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-walter-white-vs-gus-fring/668485/22 "2013-09-11T23:47:50Z")
> [@Martian Bigfoot](#): > > The show seems to be careful to cast fluent speakers in the other Spanish-speaking roles, though, and is generally concerned with attention to detail, so maybe there is more to it, and if he was ever in Chile at all, that’s not where he’s originally from. Some have suggested a German connection, because of Madrigal. He also conjugates verbs in the future tense when speaking, which from what I understand, is not done in conversational Spanish anywhere in the Western Hemisphere. Certainly not in Mexico; I’ll see if I can find out if there are any enclaves in Central or South America where this rule doesn’t hold. I’m not sure about Spain; I’ll have to look that up. ---
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2013, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-walter-white-vs-gus-fring/668485/23 "2013-09-11T23:48:13Z")
> [@Gestalt](#): > > Walt, as we know from flash forwards, ends up an outcast from his community, and most likely does not have any money to pass onto his family. Didn’t he tip the woman at Denny’s $100? ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2013, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-walter-white-vs-gus-fring/668485/24 "2013-09-12T00:31:29Z")
> [@MyFootsZZZ](#): > > Didn’t he tip the woman at Denny’s $100? Some think that it’s the last money he has, and he’s thinking “screw it”, since he’s not expecting to survive that day. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus\_alba](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quercus_alba/32/4061_2.png) [@Quercus\_alba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus_alba)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2013, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-walter-white-vs-gus-fring/668485/25 "2013-09-12T01:08:35Z")
> [@MyFootsZZZ](#): > > Didn’t he tip the woman at Denny’s $100? $50–it was Grant, I think. ---
**Author:** ![Gestalt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/90ced4/32.png) [@Gestalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gestalt)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2013, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-walter-white-vs-gus-fring/668485/26 "2013-09-12T01:21:58Z")
> [@Martian Bigfoot](#): > > Some think that it’s the last money he has, and he’s thinking “screw it”, since he’s not expecting to survive that day. Yeah that was my take on things. Even if he does have zajillions of dollars hidden away somewhere, and even if Skylar and the kids are still alive, it will be very hard for them to spend that money considering Walt’s role as a drug kingpin is well known and any big purchases will be under scrutiny. Unless she can keep the carwash and continue to launder money through it. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2013, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-walter-white-vs-gus-fring/668485/27 "2013-09-12T03:46:31Z")
> [@Gestalt](#): > > Walt, as we know from flash forwards, ends up an outcast from his community, and most likely does not have any money to pass onto his family. > [@MyFootsZZZ](#): > > Didn’t he tip the woman at Denny’s $100? > [@Martian Bigfoot](#): > > Some think that it’s the last money he has, and he’s thinking “screw it”, since he’s not expecting to survive that day. He can’t be totally out of money because that illegal M60 didn’t come cheap. Walt may or may not be broke, but he figures he’s a dead man, so the money doesn’t matter. > [@TBG](#): > > Walt’s not selfish. He’s not looking to make himself money, he’s looking to see his family taken care of after he’s gone. And he’s done a lot for Jesse over the course of the show that even though yes he does manipulate him a lot, shows him as not being completely selfish. He’s selfish alright. Over and over he passes up opportunities to make money and gets himself into trouble because he wants notoriety and credit. (Mike: “You know, I have never seen anybody work so hard not to get five million dollars.”) Walt says he’s in it for the money and that has motivated some of his choices, but it’s never really been about the money. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2013, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-walter-white-vs-gus-fring/668485/28 "2013-09-12T04:03:33Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Walt says he’s in it for the money and that has motivated some of his choices, but it’s never really been about the money. He admits as much after a while. “I’m in the empire business.” ---
**Author:** ![Pitchmeister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pitchmeister/32/3459_2.png) [@Pitchmeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pitchmeister)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2013, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-walter-white-vs-gus-fring/668485/29 "2013-09-12T18:58:26Z")
> [@coremelt](#): > > Well the better call Saul spin off has been green lit and its a prequel so Gus may show up in a cameo and we might learn some more about his past. I highly doubt it - Saul introduced Gus as “I know a guy who knows a guy”, I don’t think they ever interacted. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2013, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-walter-white-vs-gus-fring/668485/30 "2013-09-12T20:38:31Z")
I think it was “I know a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy,” even. Gus’ cover was that he was an upstanding restaurateur and a DEA booster. Saul is a sleaze and he represents dirtbags. I’m sure they could work something out if they wanted to, but Gus wouldn’t have been seen with Saul. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2013, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-walter-white-vs-gus-fring/668485/31 "2013-09-12T20:47:57Z")
> [@Pitchmeister](#): > > I highly doubt it - Saul introduced Gus as “I know a guy who knows a guy”, I don’t think they ever interacted. I’m thinking the guy who knew the guy was probably Mike. ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2013, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-walter-white-vs-gus-fring/668485/32 "2013-09-12T22:54:37Z")
He was smart and all, but Gus had the backing of the cartel, Madrigal, and maybe elements from South America. Walt started with nothing. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2013, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-walter-white-vs-gus-fring/668485/33 "2013-09-13T03:49:29Z")
> [@marshmallow](#): > > He was smart and all, but Gus had the backing of the cartel, Madrigal, and maybe elements from South America. Walt started with nothing. I see it the other way around: Gus built those relationships. The cartel was initially hostile to Gus (they killed Max) and at some point later decided to do business with him. It was profitable for them but things were tense. We don’t really know how the Madrigal thing happened, but it looks like Madrigal bought Los Pollos Hermanos at some point. So that means the deal involved a legitimate business Gus created on his own. Walt has mostly built on existing relationships - first Tuco, then Gus’ network, then he used Declan’s group to handle his distribution. And of course he’s wrecked those relationships every time. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-bad-walter-white-vs-gus-fring/668485.md?page=1)