I agree with your assessment. Also, a trophy wife is always ‘waiting in the wings’ when a man becomes successful and dumps wife #1. Fred was single for 20 years after his divorce, so he never brought in a step-mom to complicate his children’s lives, and he remains on good terms with wife #1.
(Best Church Lady voice...)
Ahhh; but what was he DOING all them 20 years?? HMMmmmm?