Sorry for wall, humor me..
Tbh, I think 'power imbalance' has kind of been overblown a little these days. I definitely think it's a thing, and I do think it's better for everyone when they're more thoughtful and cognizant of the dynamics in relationships. But I think at the end of the day, what really matters is do they make each other happy? Or at least try to? Is there a healthy level of awareness? A healthy balance of give and take? Trust? Compromise? If those boxes are ticked, why does it honestly matter if a guy is 50 and extremely wealthy and a girl is 25 and taken off the streets or whatever? I do think that those dynamics can tend towards the more selfish and transactional kind of relationships, that's definitely a thing and it's sad. But it doesn't have to be the case, and if it has those qualities I mentioned, I think it can be just as lovely as any other relationship between 'equals'.
But also, let's consider another power imbalance: beauty. What if I'm a rich, ugly mofo, and also very lonely and willing to put everything I have into one person. And what if I meet a young, very beautiful woman, the stuff of my dreams, and she actually seems into me? What about that power dynamic, the effect her beauty and youth has on my ego and self-worth, the state of my mind, the willingness on my part to potentially sacrifice everything I have for her love? I'm really not trying to pull a fast one with definitions or anything, and maybe it's not the typical situation, but I genuinely think that's a form of unequal power dynamic that someone can have; it isn't just wealth and position, it can be lots of other things: social power, intellectual power, and so on. But people don't usually consider that man as potentially vulnerable, even though I think he absolutely is.
On being nice, I think you're being a little unfair. Being a decent person is desirable for really everyone, I don't think that's even a question. But unfortunately, a lot of people consider decency to be a source of weakness, or just not in their interest, whether because they're assholes at heart or because they've been punished for it in their past or something. It's still desirable, and believe it or not, it absolutely is not universally common. It should be, but I think it's very unfair to pretend like it's the most cheap and common thing in the world and not something to respect or admire. Being decent is by its very nature vulnerability, and can also be very expensive if no one's reciprocating, or worse.. they're taking advantage; that's not something many people think they can afford.
And lastly, as far as Guy's less successful past and lack of attention from the opposite sex: from the perspective of the author writing characters roughly grounded in reality with desires and motivations adjacent to the real world.. firstly, I think it's more complicated than you're presenting tbh and I think it's very unfair to pin it all on Nicki or other LIs, and none of it on Guy. Poor dudes in shit jobs tend to be pretty unconfident, maybe have given up on working on themselves, and so on. It's obviously understandable. But those are all bad signals for lads to give to ladies, it's a mega turn-off.
Secondly, it isn't fair, but the honest truth is that women are as infatuated with success as men are with youth and beauty. Would you play this game if all the women looked a little flabby, a little mid in the face? Probably not. Because you want hotties with bodies, that's what sells to guys. It's easy for men to be resentful of what women are into especially when they're not that thing, but most of those same guys won't look in themselves and see the exact same dynamic playing out. Truth is, our nature is just as hurtful to them as theirs is to us. But if you want women to let men be men, gotta also let women be women as a man and just accept what everyone desires. If you really want a girl who isn't shallow about success and money, really want a true and honest connection like that no strings, I'd hope you'd extend the same generosity and not be obsessed with looks. The unfortunate and kinda pathetic reality tbh is that there are so, so many guys out there who feel entitled to their ridiculous fantasy of the 10 body 10 face 10 sex life, and yet their girl should be all "oh but honey I also love you for you and don't need the riches or the incredible charm and wit! You're perfect just the way you are!"
Sorry, I think I went a little far there and projected a ton of shit you didn't necessarily say, my bad.. but hope my point still comes across
