I think people sometimes exaggerate how bad Makalov is. All he really has is a gambling problem and he tends to get desperate when he has huge debts, which is natural. Sure, it's stupid to get into those debts in the first place, but if you look past that, he's a really nice guy, so despite Makalov's problems, he and Astrid would have a good life together. Certainly better than being with Lekain. I imagine him to be the kind who would abuse his wife for the tiniest things, and I don't think I'm too far off.