Under current divorce law, husbands and wives each get half of the marital assets unless one is proven to have acted in a way that violated the marriage.
That went against Ms Rousseff's express wishes, and was a defiant challenge to Mr Palocci, who had threatened the party with ministerial sackings should its deputies rebel.
It is noticeable that the family metaphor is adopted by such organized groups as the Mafia, and who punish severely any family members who transgress family rules.